Shelby Varol is a doctoral student at the College of Social Work. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from the University of Alabama. Her research interests include refugee experiences, trauma-informed practice and policy, and LGBTQIA+ issues.
MSW, 2018, University of Alabama; Social Work
BSW, 2016, University of Alabama; Social Work
Lauren is a doctoral candidate in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Her research interests include differences in access to care among vulnerable populations. Lauren’s experiences as a licensed clinical social worker and research assistant, both globally and locally, inform her focus on bridging gaps in mental health services. She is particularly interested in addressing the needs of those affected by structural injustices, especially at the intersection of complex trauma and health.
Ponsiano Ngondwe (Pons) is a social work doctoral student at the College of Social Work. Pons’ research interests focus on education access for vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities, especially refugee children. Pons’ other interests include empowering vulnerable populations: refugees, street families, and women in informal settlements. Pons holds an MSW from Boston College and a Master of Arts in Migration Theology from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.
Dr. Gashaye Melaku Tefera is an Assistant Professor whose work focuses on healthcare access, health disparities, and mental health among immigrants, refugees, internally displaced people, international students, Indigenous populations, and other underserved communities. He explores the social determinants of health as well as the barriers and facilitators that impact healthcare access. His research aims to develop evidence-based, contextually relevant interventions that enhance healthcare access and utilization while promoting mental well-being. Dr.
Beth Okantey is a doctoral candidate at Florida State University’s College of Social Work. She is a research assistant with the Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment. Beth has assisted in various projects on aging and cognitive decline in a variety of populations. She assisted in survey collection and qualitative interviews focused on the safety risks of those aging with HIV and aging and cognitive decline among aging Latinos, Asians, and Black Americans. She also completed a systematic review of how students gain cultural awareness in social work education.
Tomi Gomory is an associate professor, social work clinician and co-author of “Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs,” (2013) a book that closely reviews psychiatry and critiques its efforts to address mental health using a medical model. His research examines the conventionally accepted use of coercion in social services, the impact of the use of force on users of social services and the ethical impacts on helping professions.
Jane Dwyer Lee is the Director of International Programs for the College of Social Work. She is a teaching professor and licensed clinical social worker teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in-person and online. Her clinical social work practice and teaching background include behavioral health, substance use, international social work, cultural studies, and criminal justice.
