Faculty & Research

After almost thirty years, I am retiring from the FSU College of Social Work this summer.

The Florida State University College of Social Work is combining its expertise in providing professional social work skills with community resources in a first of a kind initiative using student-developed entrepreneurial business models to aid social services organizations and the Tallahassee community in identifying comprehensive solutions to local homelessness.

The Florida State University (FSU) College of Social Work (CSW) collaborated with several FSU organizations to host the 2nd annual CSW Arts and Athletics Camp for underserved middle-school-aged youth.

Dr. Karen Randolph, and coauthor Dr. Laura Myers’s book Basic Statistics in Multivariate Analysis was recently published by Oxford University Press.  The book introduces readers to three multivariate analytical methods (i.e., linear regression, analysis of variance and covariance, and path analysis) with a focus on the basic statistics that support these methods.

We are most fortunate to have two new assistant professors joining us this fall!

Lisa Schelbe, MSW, Ph.D. joins the College of Social Work faculty as an Assistant Professor, having most recently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Schelbe earned her MSW at Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Lisa brings a wealth of experience relating to domestic violence and child welfare (particularly youth aging out of the child welfare system).

Faculty member Janet Berry retired at the end of this summer to begin a new chapter in her life.  On top of being an alumna of the FSU College of Social Work, Janet has been a long-time faculty member at the College, taking on various roles and responsibilities.  Included among these roles were the development of the online MSW degree program and the online Leadership in Executive and Administrative Development (LEAD) Certificate Program as well as coordinating and designing the Capstone Assignment for Field Seminars.

Elizabeth Koalska Piccard, better known as Betty, was a valued faculty member of the College of Social Work from 1965 until 1993, serving for many years as the Undergraduate Program Director. Recently, on August 29, 2013 she died peacefully in her sleep in Tallahassee, a place she called home since 1953.

Since July 1, 2012, the College of Social Work(CSW) has collaborated with the FSU College of Medicine (COM) and the FAMU College of Pharmacy on a unique program evaluation of the MEDS-AD Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program, implemented by the University of Florida School of Pharmacy (UF SoP) under the auspices of

With research indicating that the early stage symptoms of depression emerge in early adolescents there is a strong need for early intervention, according to Assistant Professor Dr. La Tonya Noël.

“”It is when these symptoms are not addressed at this stage that it progresses to Major Depressive Disorder, which can be a lifelong struggle,” Dr. Noël stressed. “So all the research basically indicates that it’s best to intervene early to prevent this.”

Some doctors are too quick to prescribe antidepressants to parents who have suffered the death of a child either during pregnancy or within the first month of life, according to a study conducted by Florida State University researcher Jeffrey R. Lacasse.

In a study of 235 bereaved parents participating in an online support community, Lacasse found that 88 — or 37.4 percent — of them were prescribed a psychiatric medication to help them cope. Some women received prescriptions within a week of losing their children.