The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has appointed Dr. David L. Albright to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans’ Rural Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Albright is a university distinguished professor and Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health Research at the University of Alabama School of Social Work.
Chris Collins, a doctoral candidate with the FSU College of Social Work, will join the faculty of Salem State University starting the fall semester of 2023. As an assistant professor within the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services School of Social Work, Chris will primarily focus on teaching macro social work courses focused on areas like policy, social work practice with organizations, forensic social work and research methods.
William (Bill) Kintz, a long-time teaching professor with the FSU College of Social Work served as the college’s Department of Children and Families Training Coordinator until his death on December 14, 2022. He worked in the social work field for more than 50 years.
Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Bill earned his bachelor’s degree in 1970 from Saint Francis College and a master’s degree in social work from Indiana University in 1972. He began his social work career with Catholic Social Services/Catholic Charities in Indiana from 1972 until 1986.
As a young student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Margaret Ashmore was inspired by President Jimmy Carter’s dedication to service and social programs. A test at the university’s career center confirmed her desire to serve others, leading to a degree in social work. At UNCG, Ashmore was mentored by her professor, Dr. Patricia Spakes. “It was Dr. Spakes and another beloved professor, Jerry Finn, who influenced and encouraged me to continue my education.”
Developed in the early 2000s, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) was developed as a distinct therapeutic technique for the treatment of traumatic stress. The technique is based on the principles of testimony therapy, according to the American Journal of Psychotherapy, and invites people to tell their stories or experiences, including traumatic events, in which the specific political context of the traumatic events is emphasized.
As a first-generation college student, Lauren Johnson (BSW, 2006) knew what it was like to not only navigate a new environment and culture but how the assistance of others can make all the difference in an individual’s success.
“My professors that taught at the College of Social Work helped me not only academically, but as an individual, cultivating me into the person I am today,” she recalled. “I had so many questions on how everything worked and regardless of how many questions I had or what assistance I needed my professors were always willing to help.”
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Felicitas Brugo Onetti always felt drawn to working with immigrant populations. She volunteered extensively with Guatemalan and Mexican migrant and refugee families while growing up in Miami, Florida and attended several mission trips while earning her social work degree at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
“It is a passion of mine, working with people who are immigrants – like me,” she said. “I always felt called to this population, using my... skills and being a native Spanish speaker to reach more individuals needing help.”
The College of Social Work at Florida State University hosted its 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award and Student Scholarship dinner on Thursday, October 13, 2022. The event honored five distinguished social work graduates and 2021-2022 student scholars.
More than $168K in scholarships were given in 2021-2022 to support undergraduate- and graduate-level social work students with interests in areas including child welfare, social policy, international social work, social work practice and military veterans.
Dr. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett, a recent FSU College of Social Work graduate joins the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Social Work as an assistant professor. Taylor’s dissertation focused on children and families involved in the foster care system, titled “Latent Profiles of Foster Parents and their Association with Intent to Disrupt Placement and Turnover,” working with her major professor Dr. Shamra Boel-Studt.
A recent study from Florida State University examined how the cumulative experience of violence can impact virally stable people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
