In a time when many people are finding themselves isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one organization is finding space both in-person and online to offer heart-centered listening. The organization Sidewalk Talk was established in 2014 by two San Francisco-based therapists who were heartbroken by the growing loneliness, violence and inequality they observed in their community.
Florida State University celebrated its Summer 2020 graduates with a virtual celebration on July 31st at 7:30 pm. The College of Social Work along with the other colleges across campus provided virtual celebrations for their graduates.
When Alexis Smith and Julia Kendall heard about an opportunity for a supported summer internship in their home county of Brevard, they both jumped at the chance. “I was so excited to be able to serve my home county during this difficult time in any way that I could, as well as gain experience in this wonderful field,” said Julia, a double major in social work and psychology.
A team from Florida State University has received more than $400,000 from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how closely children who receive a heart, liver or kidney transplant adhere to medication regimens post-surgery.
Michael Killian, an assistant professor at the FSU College of Social Work, was awarded the two-year grant to explore pediatric patient medication adherence and test what factors might predict specific patient trajectories. The team believes this could improve accuracy in the prediction of post-transplant health outcomes.
Director for the Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS), Karen Oehme admits that the social distancing and other results of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed a challenge to the institute, which highly emphasizes teamwork. Collaboration has continued, but the context has changed to one of the virtual connections and the resurgence of phone calls and conferences. She and her team are grateful that federal work-study students, graduate assistants and interns are still allowed to work on institute projects from afar.
As the COVID-19 pandemic gained a foothold in the US and colleges and universities were moving online, Carol Campbell Edwards, an assistant teaching professor at the FSU College of Social Work, was inspired to develop a Spring 2020 webinar series that would promote virtual engagement for social work students who were suddenly disconnected and isolated.
Recent graduate R. Lane Forsman was able to successfully defend his dissertation on February 28th before the U.S. had seen the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite all the current uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, Lane is excited to join the faculty of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE).
His dissertation titled, “Queer College Sexual Violence: The interaction of gender identity and sexual assault on campus” (Major professor: Lisa Schelbe) highlights his research interest in LGBTQ+ issues and sexual assault.
The FSU Office of Research Development organized its eleventh Collaborative Collison event to bring faculty from various departments across the university to work together on projects that specifically target the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida State University welcomed 316 new students into the prestigious Garnet and Gold Scholars society for the spring 2020 semester, the largest class of inductees since the program's inception. Inductees were honored through a virtual reception due to COVID-19. Eight recent College of Social Work graduates were among the 316 undergraduate students inducted into the society.
Dr. Shalay Jackson has made it her mission to engage her students in the content and courses she teaches that later translates to competence in the social work field. This approach is especially important for courses like her Social Work Practice with Communities and Organizations course (SOW4360) as excitement and enthusiasm for community engagement is imperative for immersion and appreciation of the coursework.
