Welcome to the newest group of student leaders for the FSU Student Association of Social Workers (SASW). SASW has a lot planned for the fall 2020 semester, including an informational meeting in early September. As a registered student organization, SASW also has planned professional events including a grad school panel, along with volunteer events and social events (Netflix parties & zoom socials).
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.
“I love seeing students take their classroom learning and apply it in the real world,” said Brenda Legaspi, a new social work faculty member at the College of Social Work (FSU CSW). Legaspi joins the college as an assistant teaching professor focused on working with distance learning students in the Online MSW Program. “My primary interest has been field education, the signature pedagogy of the social work profession.”
The Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD) at the FSU College of Social Work is dedicated to the betterment of the lives of the individuals, families and communities impacted by the criminal justice system. Even before the renewed national consciousness about racial violence in our nation, IJRD has been at the forefront of addressing racial and economic disparities documented throughout the criminal justice system. The work IJRD team members perform every day is centered on 3 pillars:
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.
