Carla Stover, PhD, Assistant Professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, has been awarded an R34 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support further research into her Fathers for Change intervention. Fathers for Change is a unique intervention that focuses on the paternal role throughout treatment, combining attachment, family systems, and cognitive behavioral theory and techniques to decrease violence and aggression, alcohol and substance abuse, and negative parenting behaviors.

Dr. Stover is also a co-investigator with Dr. James McHale, Director of the Family Study Center at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, on his recently awarded R01 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD). Dr. McHale's grant is to conduct a randomized controlled trial for his "Figuring It Out for the Child" (FIOC) prenatal co-parenting intervention for African American families. Dr. McHale's intervention has received support from key African American stakeholders in St. Petersburg, Florida's health and human service and faith-based communities as a way to improve communication and parenting skills among unmarried fathers and mothers to improve outcomes for their children.

Tammy Jorgensen-Smith, PhD (PI) and Christina Dillahunt-Aspillaga, PhD (CI) have received a $1 million long-term training grant from the Rehabilitation Service Administration, US Department of Education. The purpose of the project entitled "Rehabilitation Counseling Master's Degree Program - A Solution to Personnel Shortages in the Florida Public Vocational Rehabilitation System" is to to promote the recruitment, training and development of highly-qualified rehabilitation counselors to meet the high demand for public sector providers of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. The focus of the project is to integrate customized employment practices into the core curriculum in alignment with new legislation (WIOA) that requires public VR systems to add customized employment options to their menu of services.

Barbara LoFrisco, PhD, of the Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (RMHC) Program, has been asked by the Suncoast Mental Health Counseling Association (SMHCA) to be it's Counselor Educator Representative. In this role, she will serve on the Membership Committee and function as a liaison to the Board with regard to the current concerns of graduate school mental health counselor faculty, as well as help coordinate the annual Spring Symposium.

SMHCA is a Mental Health Counseling association for students, registered interns and Licensed Mental Health Counselors to advance mental health education and to promote professional networking.

Dr. Rachel McArdle is appointed as the National Director, Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services, within the Office of Patient Care Services, for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Office in Washington, DC effective September 21, 2015

Dr. McArdle received her BA, MA, and PhD from USF. She has been employed by VA since 1996. Before assuming this position, she served as VHA's Associate Director for Clinical Rehabilitation and Restoration at the Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence. She has served as chair of the field advisory committee for VHA Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, and held various leadership and management positions including her tenure as Chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Dr. McArdle also serves as Director of the Audiology Research Lab, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.

This summer marked the creation of the Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Student Steering Committee. The CSD Student Steering Committee is a student-run group committed to improving student success and engagement via mentoring and building a sense of community. It is the goal of this committee to create ways for all CSD students to connect and empower one another, to advocate for their needs, and to be successful during their undergraduate education at the University of South Florida. The committee is made up of eight students representing the three CSD concentrations of Language Speech & Hearing, Deaf Studies, and Interpreter Training.

Recently, the CSD Student Steering Committee hosted their first event called CSD Survival Skills Training. This was a "world café" style event where students were able to spend 15 minutes at tables where presenters shared valuable information on Test Taking and Study Strategies, Surviving Stress, Undergraduate Research, Global Issues in CSD, Grad School Applications, Professionalism, Getting Involved in the Deaf Community, and Resume Building. Lunch was provided and many students won raffle prizes provided by local businesses in our community. This event was attended by over 120 students from the CSD major and was a huge success! Follow the link for a video created by students used to advertise the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK68vst35i8

The CSD Student Steering Committee will continue their work this fall hosting events, such as CSD Free Movie Night, Weekly Tutoring Sessions, and Monthly Workshops, to ensure that the undergraduate students in CSD are as successful as possible in their academic career. If you are interested in more information on the Student Steering Committee please contact bcs-csdadvising@usf.edu.

All of us have benefited as protégés from more experienced mentors to learn our teacher-investigator craft. Mentoring junior colleagues is valued for all faculty, regardless of your level. This opening Research Forum will focus on how to contribute to the mentoring process. This discussion targets post-docs through full professors.

We will talk about the joys and pitfalls of mentoring, why few qualify as "super mentors," and how to place appropriate boundaries and expectations around mentoring relationships. Please come, share and learn some great tips for mentoring so we can be more successful with our grants, teaching, publishing, and service.
 

The fully online Master of Science (MS) Degree in Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health (MSCABH) program in the Department of Child & Family Studies prepares professionals to serve in public and non-profit agencies and schools that work with diverse children and adolescents experiencing behavioral health challenges and their families. Four concentrations are available. October 15 is the deadline to apply for Spring 2016. Apply here...

The 29th Annual Research & Policy Conference on Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Behavioral Health Planning Committee invites proposals for research benefiting children, youth and their families. Be a part of the innovation! Read more...

Glen Dunlap, PhD, will present "Perspectives on Challenging Behavior: Past, Present and Future" on Thursday, November 5, 2015 from 3:00 - 5:00pm at the Gibbons Alumni Center (ALC 100). Formerly a professor with the University of South Florida, Dr. Glen Dunlap is internationally recognized for his contributions to science in the areas of applied behavior analysis, positive behavior support, early intervention, developmental disabilities and family support. Dr. Dunlap's legacy at the University of South Florida includes establishing the first Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and providing leadership in the development of numerous research, training, and technical assistance projects related to the implementation of Positive Behavior Support, early intervention, evidence-based practice, and improving runaway behavior. Flyer ... Registration

The USF Libraries are participating in a study to reveal how faculty discover and access scholarly materials, what types of materials they use in research and teaching, and how they disseminate their work. The Libraries will use the anonymous survey results to better support faculty research and teaching, determine allocation of resources, and inform library instruction services. If you received an Ithaka S+ R Faculty Survey (IRB Pro # 00022796) Research Study via email last week, please follow the link provided and complete the questionnaire. It's just that easy! Questions about the survey? Visit http://www.lib.usf.edu/guides/ithaka/ or contact Matthew Torrence (torrence@usf.edu).

The Student Association for Aging Studies (SAAS) is partnering with Seniors of Service in Tampa Bay, Inc. to support the Foster Grandparent program. Foster Granparents are older adults (55+) who volunteer their time, love, and wisdom to children in need by entering the classroom and aiding teachers and young students to achieve their academic best and personal success. SAAS will be holding a school supply donation drive between September 28th and October 26th. The collected items will go to a few classrooms and children in need in the surrounding Tampa Bay area. Donation locations are in the School of Aging Studies, MHC 1300.

1. Monnat, S. M., & Rigg, K. K. (2015). Examining rural/urban differences in prescription opioid misuse among U.S. adolescents. Journal of Rural Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12141


 

2. Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Jorgensen-Smith, T., Hanson, A., Ehlke, S., Stergiou-Kita, M., Dixon, C., & Quichocho, D. (2015). Exploring vocational evaluation practices following traumatic brain injury. Behavioural Neurology. Article ID 924027 [11 pages]. Retrieved from http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bn/aa/924027/abs/