Faculty & Research

Social work and the legal profession have many unique and sometimes unexpected intersections. The same can be said for partnerships between social workers and lawyers. The recent publication of the book Tell the Client’s Story: Mitigation in Criminal and Death Penalty Cases resulted from one such partnership between FSU College of Social Work Dean Jim Clark and attorney for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy Edward Monahan.

Five Florida State University faculty members are fanning out across the globe to teach and conduct research in Russia, Finland, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic through grants from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Pam Graham MacDill, Director of the BSW and Professional Development Programs at the FSU College of Social Work was presented with the Partners with a Purpose Award on May 16, 2017, for her contributions to the FSU Unconquered Scholars program of the Center for Academic Retention, & Enhancement (CARE).

A poet and a writer since adolescence, Dr. Nick Mazza was working in the maintenance department of a hospital in New Jersey putting himself through college when he noticed an article in Time magazine on poetry therapy. His curiosity piqued, he wrote to one of the national leaders in poetry therapy, attended a national conference in Brooklyn and found himself hooked. He approached the medical director of the hospital about reading poetry to patients, and the director introduced him to the hospital’s social services department. The rest is history.

Shairi Turner, MD, MPH, a Harvard-trained internist, and pediatrician will join the FSU College of Social Work as a research faculty member, and a key member of the College’s leadership traveling to Shanghai, China in May 2017.  The College's international delegation, consisting of Dr. Amy Ai, Dean Jim Clark, Dr. Turner, Dr. Neil Abell and Dr.

The struggle for transgender equality has recently been illustrated by the high-profile case of Gavin Grimm, a transgender teenager in Virginia. Grimm, who was assigned female at birth but has legally and medically transitioned to male, challenged a school board policy that was enacted to prevent him from using the boys’ bathroom.

Norman Anderson Appointed Assistant Vice President for Research 

Norman Anderson, an eminent psychologist and member of the National Academy of Medicine, will join the Florida State University faculty with primary appointments as a research professor in both the College of Social Work and the College of Nursing. He also will serve as assistant vice president for research and academic affairs. 

Lisa Schelbe, an assistant professor in the FSU College of Social Work has been named a member of the 2017 class of fellows of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). 

This distinction recognizes members of the society who have furthered its mission – to advance, disseminate and translate research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, equitable and just society. 

Congratulations to our many distinguished faculty members who remain dedicated to the advancement of the social work profession. Listed below are a few of their recent awards and achievements.

The rate of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the same among all racial groups — one in 110, according to current estimates. However, a study by a Florida State University researcher has found that African-American children tend to be diagnosed later than white children, which results in a longer and more intensive intervention.