The Florida Institute for Child Welfare has remained steady in its efforts to continue guiding and informing child welfare policy, procedures and research during the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic has changed the institute’s approach, it has not dampened the team’s dedication to helping the children of Florida.
FSU College of Social Work Associate Professor Carrie Pettus-Davis addressed congressional leaders as part of a panel on social work and policing. On June 30, 2020, four experts convened to discuss social work's role in the future of policing. Moderated by Charles E. Lewis, Jr., the panel included Derrick Jackson, George T. Patterson, Desmond U. Patton, and Carrie Pettus-Davis.
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 of the Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS), Karen Oehme, admits that the social distancing and other effects of the pandemic have posed a challenge for the institute, which highly emphasizes teamwork. Collaboration has continued, but the context has shifted to 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.
This semester, two FSU College of Social Work faculty members were honored for excellence in teaching, Keithen Mathis and Shalay Jackson. As student-oriented awards, recipients are nominated by students and alumni and selected for their outstanding efforts that lead to successful teaching and learning.
