Child Welfare

Oluwaseun Jegede is a doctoral student in the College of Social Work and a graduate assistant with the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Her research focuses on the intersections of child welfare, domestic violence, and mental health. She is studying the experiences of children exposed to domestic violence in various care settings and examines how these insights can inform the development of interventions and programs that support young people’s mental health and developmental milestones.

Priscilla Wilson is a doctoral student in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. With a focus on child protection and the "best interests of the child," her research investigates the effectiveness of community-based interventions and the influence of policy and practice on social work outcomes. She also explores how distinct systems-level and cultural contexts affect the design, implementation, and outcomes of community-based interventions in child protection.

Dr. Byers is an associate professor with the FSU College of Social Work, with expertise in child welfare. Her research and scholarship focus on community, structural, and systems-level issues that impact children, families, and their communities. She applies a community-engaged approach to research, using advanced mixed-methods, implementation science, and a translational prevention framework. More specifically, her research addresses social determinants of health, protective factors, and child welfare system change. 

Katie Berry brings over a decade of research and evaluation experience, collaborating with health and human services organizations in both the private and public sectors. Currently, at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare (FICW), she offers technical assistance to community providers to help them effectively evaluate their work and enhance the quality of care access and delivery.

Pooja Ichplani works alongside the Florida Institute for Child Welfare's (FICW) Research and Evaluation team toward FICW's vision, focusing on the research and evaluation efforts to respond to key legislative mandates for the institute. A key priority for her work is navigating the intersection of domestic violence and child welfare. She aims to build on her passion to develop a community-based, culturally appropriate prevention program against intimate partner violence to strengthen the workforce. Dr.

Dr. Malaika Samples is the Assistant Director of the Academic Innovation Program at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. With over 15 years of experience in instructional design, program development, and applied research, her work bridges the gap between higher education and real-world professional practice in child welfare and related fields.

Lauren Stanley is the assistant director of Organizational Development, Research and Evaluation at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare and a research faculty member with the College of Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Florida Qualified Supervisor and has over 15 years of clinical experience with children and families.

Vivian Mills, PhD, MSW is the assistant director of Professional Development and Worker Wellbeing Research and Evaluation at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare (FICW) and a research faculty member at the College of Social Work. Prior to this position, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the FICW, and the Institute for Quality Children’s Services housed within Florida State University’s College of Social Work. Dr. Mills developed her passion to co-parent with families working towards reunification through her experiences as a foster and adoptive parent.

Burcu Izci, Ph.D., is the assistant director of Academic Innovation Research and Evaluation at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare and is a research faculty member at the FSU College of Social Work. Prior to this position, Burcu worked as an assistant professor and program coordinator for the Early Childhood Education program at Florida Gulf Coast University (2018-2023) and served as a research coordinator/postdoctoral researcher at Florida A&M University's STEM Center (2023-2024).

Lauren is a doctoral candidate in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Her research interests center on disparities in access to health and mental health care, with particular attention to structural and policy-level determinants. Drawing on her clinical and research experience, she explores how systemic inequities shape service delivery and outcomes for children and families. Her interests include the intersection of complex trauma and health, the role of state and institutional policy in care access, and the development of equitable systems of care.