With educational, research and social work practice experience across three continents, including Africa, Europe and North America, Gashaye (Gash) Melaku Tefera considers himself an international social work researcher with a mission to improve the lives and representation of underserved populations. His research addresses concerns of immigrant, refugee and indigenous populations, focusing on underserved women and older adults.

From a small town in Pennsylvania, Xyla Payne was drawn to research while an undergraduate student at Penn State University, working towards a human development and family studies degree. As a young researcher, she participated in a study (SIESTA) examining children's bedtime routines and how co-parenting, maternal depression and household organization/chaos can impact children's transition into kindergarten.

Florida State University has chosen alumna Lisa Magruder as the next leader of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare.  

Magruder, the institute’s associate director of research since 2020, takes over the director’s role from fellow FSU graduate Jessica Pryce. Pryce, who served as director for six years, will lead the institute’s Alliance for Workforce Enhancement initiative.  

At the Florida Perinatal Mental Health Conference – Making a Difference Together, Sharon Ross-Donaldson received the 2022 Excellence in Perinatal Mental Healthcare Award.

The award recognizes an individual for their work providing excellent clinical care, training, advocacy, and leadership in perinatal health in Florida and nationally.

Florida State University’s

In September 2022, the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) at the FSU College of Social Work was awarded a two-year U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant funding the creation of the Southeast Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center (ROTA-RC). The new center serving eight states in the southeast region including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

A new institute launched at Florida State University aims to improve the lives of children and their families who rely on out-of-home care. The Institute for Quality Children’s Services will be housed within the College of Social Work’s Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children. The institute’s objective is to make scientifically supported strategies addressing urgent behavioral health needs accessible and implementable for service providers and child-serving systems.

In 2023, the National Association of Social Workers is celebrating National Social Work Month in March with a theme of “Social Work Breaks Barriers” that prevent people and communities from thriving. Social Work Month was first organized in March 1963 to encourage public support for the social work profession.

Mallory Adams was interested in politics and policy even as an undergraduate at Southeastern University. She was set to take her LSATs and apply to law school when her thesis advisor, both a social worker and attorney, pointed out how congruent her interests were with the field of social work.

"She was, of course, totally right. I am so thankful for her advice," she recollected. "I was drawn to social work due to the wide variety of practice areas and diverse roles through which social workers advocate in their communities."

Years after Hurricane Michael devastated Florida’s Gulf Coast, residents of that area still struggle to overcome the trauma of the Category 5 storm. 

In a recent study, FSU researchers found that trauma and a host of psychosocial and physical challenges caused by Hurricane Michael disproportionately affect the region’s Black communities.