On January 27th, Hillsborough County, Court Administration for the 13th Judicial Circuit, the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office, along with the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center (CJMHSA TAC) from USF's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) hosted the Circuit 13 Mental Health Summit and Mental Health Court Kickoff Event. The summit was held at the Hillsborough County Court House. Hillsborough County's success in implementing other problem-solving courts provides high hopes for the new mental health court. The mental health court will begin by serving individuals charged with non-violent crimes and work up to serving individuals charged with offenses that are more serious. Read more...

Khary Rigg, PhD, was recently invited to sit on the editorial board for Qualitative Social Work (QSW). QSW, published by SAGE, is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal that provides a forum for those interested in qualitative research and evaluation and in qualitative approaches to practice. QSW is currently housed in the University of Michigan's School of Work, the top social work program in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. QSW is at the forefront of the international dialogue surrounding behavioral healthcare and their goals are closely aligned with the mission of MHLP and FMHI. His responsibilities will include peer-reviewing manuscript submissions, contributing content (i.e., articles, editorials), acting as an ambassador for the journal, and providing input into strategy regarding the journal's future direction. Dr. Rigg also sits on the editorial boards for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and Substance Use & Misuse.

Dr. Glenn E. Smith, will present "Making the case for multi-component behavioral interventions for MCI" on Friday, February 17, 2017 at 10:30am in USF College of Public Health Auditorium 1023B. Smith is the Chair and Elizabeth Faulk Professor of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. A board-certified neuropsychologist, Dr. Smith has authored or co-authored over 200 original articles, 14 book chapters, and 2 books. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nebraska, and then completed an internship at UCLA and a fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (where he subsequently spent 25 years). He is the creator of the HABIT program (Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking™), which is designed to benefit people diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). He is past Chair of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Aging, and is the principal investigator of a study titled 'Comparative Effectiveness of Behavioral Interventions to Prevent or Delay Dementia.'