-- by Henry Trent
At the beginning of September, Dr. Katherine Hyer, professor and director of the School of Aging Studies and president-elect of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), led a delegation of GSA members to Jian, China. In Jian, a city of 7 million around 275 miles from Beijing, Hyer and the GSA members visited a conference hosted by the Chinese Congress on Gerontology and Health Industry. The conference opening session featured international experts and Chinese national and regional governmental leaders' visions of how to meet the healthcare needs of a growing number of older adults in China.

China's population of older adults is experiencing rapid growth. Currently, China has 240 million adults 60 years of age and older (about 17% of the population). Projections indicate by 2050, almost 35% of the Chinese population (487 million) will be over 60 years of age. The Chinese healthcare system focuses on physicians in hospitals providing primary care, and workforce projections predict severe shortages of trained staff to meet those needs. An important part of the conference discussion was the recognition that nursing, social work, and gerontological training are new areas that require major investment to train a competent workforce to meet needs of older adults.

Hyer presented her keynote entitled "Development and Adoption of Age-Friendly Health Systems in the United States". Her presentation provided an overview of the elements of age-friendly health by describing the factors that contribute to poor outcomes in care for older adults, the development of an age-friendly health system model and how the adoption of evidence-based, geriatric care models and the identification of older adult's preferences helps align safe and consistent care delivery to older adults' preferences. She received a plaque to commemorate her participation in the opening session.

As part of her trip, GSA staff arranged opportunities to give lectures at three Chinese universities. Hyer spoke to graduate health administration students at Shandong University in Jinan, Hangzhou University in Hangzhou, and a mix of undergraduate health profession students at East China Normal University in Shanghai. She lectured on measuring and monitoring long-term care services in the United States. East China Normal University, in particular, was interested in learning more about hospice care and about how services are organized. Hospice care is a new service and Shanghai hopes to create a system of hospice care throughout the city in the next five years.

While she was in China, Hyer was also able to experience the culture, food and countryside. She climbed the Great Wall of China and visited the Forbidden City, and was able to take tours of Chinese nursing homes in three cities.. During these tours she saw a 400 bed nursing home that was part of an acute care hospital. In Shanghai, she visited a nursing home that provided "take out" services to older adults in the community and provided nursing services in homes near the nursing center. Hyer enjoyed these visits and said these service organizations and locations were very different from those in the United States.

Professor Howard Goldstein was invited to give a presentation at the 24th Annual National Congress of Chinese Pediatric Society in Guangdong-Zhuhai, China. The keynote address was entitled: "Identifying and treating communication disorders in children with developmental disabilities: Applying evidence-based practices." During his trip he discussed Interprofessional Practice in health care settings and how to professionalize the training of Speech-Language Pathologists in China.

Khary Rigg, PhD, was recently appointed to the position of Associate Editor at the journal, Substance Use & Misuse. Dr. Rigg's responsibilities at the journal will include assisting the Editor in defining the journal's aims, policies, and editorial coverage, and in recruiting members for the editorial board. He will also be responsible for monitoring the status of papers during review and revision, ensuring that the journal's standards for scientific rigor are met, and making recommendations regarding acceptance or rejection of manuscripts. He also sits on the editorial boards for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Qualitative Social Work, and Harm Reduction Journal.

Dr. Roger Peters, Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy was recently featured on the Fulbright Specialist national web site, with an article describing his collaboration with the Universidad Catolica in implementing a Fulbright Specialist grant. The Fulbright project focused on developing academic programs in addiction studies, and evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental disorders within community and justice settings. More...

In October, Dr. Trina Spencer spent a week at the annual Autism Conference in Belarus. She presented on topics related to Applied Behavior Analysis and language promotion. She worked with an occupational therapist and a speech-language pathologist to train over 140 Belarusian specialists and 80 parents.

"Considering there are no course options in Applied Behavior Analysis and no certified behavior analysts in Belarus, conference participants were extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn how the science of behavior can enhance their services with children with autism and other disabilities," said Dr. Spencer.

Approximately 30 undergraduate students from the Bilingual Language and Literacy Investigative Networking Group (BLLING) volunteered their time to create and assemble educational materials before the trip. They assembled 142 file folder games and packaged play materials to distribute to the Belarusian specialists.

Students from the School of Social Work BSW course "Social Welfare Policy & Practice" will present posters describing a social welfare policy of their choosing that they have analyzed over the semester; its intended and actual impacts; and their recommendations. Please join us November 19 & 21, 11:15 am -12:15 pm in the CBCS Atrium.

Pamela Alvarez recently joined the School of Social Work as an Instructor in the areas of social welfare policy and macro practice. In her new role Pamela will be teaching social welfare policy in the MSW program, leading the School of Social Work's Self-Study for Reaffirmation by the Council on Social Work Education, and serving on a variety of committees. Prior to joining the faculty at USF, she spent the last nine years serving as the President and CEO of BAYS Florida, a statewide nonprofit organization working with children and families at-risk for or involved in the juvenile justice system. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work at the University of Wisconsin. After that she completed her doctorate in management in organizational leadership at the University of Phoenix.

Lauren Baxley recently joined Child & Family Studies as a Clinical Instructor and Marriage & Family Therapy Field Placement Coordinator. Her new responsibilities include assisting with the development of a new marriage and family therapy program, as well as teaching in the current Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program. She will also be coordinating future field placements for the new marriage and family therapy program. Lauren received her master's degree from Nova Southeastern University in marriage and family therapy. Then she received her doctorate in marriage and family therapy from Florida State University. Prior to coming to USF she was working in outpatient mental health as a marriage and family therapist at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital. She is extremely passionate about the field of marriage and family therapy, and has always wanted to pursue a career in higher education, so when this opportunity arose she couldn't pass it up.

Micah Johnson recently joined the USF faculty as an Assistant Professor. His new responsibilities include delivering a world-class undergraduate and graduate education, maintaining a rigorous and ambitious research program, and contributing to the overall success of the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, university systems and the scientific field of substance misuse research. Prior to joining USF, Micah earned his PhD in sociology with training in criminology from the University of Florida and a National Institute of Drug Abuse Postdoctoral Fellowship in epidemiology focused on adolescent substance misuse. While at USF Micah plans to exemplify excellence in teaching, commitment to a federally funded research program and devotion to undergraduate research mentorship. He aims to contribute meaningfully to the legacy of high quality pedagogy at USF, with a firm commitment to excellence for all students, no matter what it takes.

Natalie Mikkelson recently joined Communication Sciences & Disorders as a Visiting Clinical Instructor in Speech Language Pathology. Her new position involves supervising graduate student clinicians in speech language pathology as they complete their clinical practicum hours to become speech language pathologists. Natalie attended the University of Florida where she received a degree in communication sciences and disorders. She went on to Louisiana State University where she received her Masters of Arts in Communications Disorders. Prior to beginning her position at USF, she worked as a staff Speech-Language Pathologist in the USF College of Medicine, where she specialized in routines-based early intervention services for children from birth-3 years old.

Nasreen Sadeq recently joined the School of Aging Studies as a Visiting Instructor. In her new position she will be teaching four classes, with an estimated total of 500 students. She will also be involved in course planning and redesign for the coming semester, as well as continuing her PhD research. Prior to joining USF, she received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from USF. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and her PhD in aging studies. She plans to use this opportunity to gain experience teaching undergraduate courses and eventually teach master's level courses. She also hopes to continue her research.

Lise Fox (CFS)
Florida Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service (UCEDD)
Sponsor: Admin for Children & Families
7/1/2015-6/30/2020
Amount: $570,000

This continuing award supports a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service (UCEDD) at the USF College of Behavioral and Communities Sciences. This Center augments the on-going efforts of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities within the Department of Child and Family Studies and is aimed at improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities in Florida and throughout the nation.

University Centers of Excellence are established at major research universities in every state and territory of the United States through funding by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD). Innovations that emerge from individual Centers are then shared through the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), allowing best practices to be adopted in communities across the nation.

Centers provide services and supports to assist in minimizing disparities in health care, enhance educational opportunities, develop work skills, and enrich daily living for people with disabilities, their families, and communities. Center staff work with individuals with disabilities, members of their families, state and local government agencies, and community providers in projects designed to increase independence, productivity, and community integration for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Annette McGaha (MHLP)
Baker Act Data Infrastructure Project-State and Federal Funds
Sponsor: Florida Dept of Children & Families
8/15/2016-6/30/2021
Amount: $1,959,839

Funds from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) are used to operate the Baker Act Reporting Center (BARC). After over 20 years in operation, the BARC is still the only center of its kind in the country. The BARC receives and enters data from approximately 250,000 documents annually. These include forms used to initiate involuntary (Baker Act) examinations submitted by Baker Act receiving facilities and petitions and orders for longer-term involuntary treatment submitted by Clerks of Court statewide. The BARC assists DCF to meet it statutory reporting requirements, including an annual report, timely reporting and consultation during Florida's annual legislative session, as well as other special reports. The BARC also provides consultation to a variety of stakeholders and groups on issues that are informed by the Baker Act data and the BARC staff's knowledge of the Baker Act. Additional information about the BARC can be found at https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/baker-act/

Marie McPherson (MHLP)
Medicaid Drug Therapy Management Program for Behavioral Health
Sponsor: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
9/8/2015-6/30/2020
Amount: $5,914,108

This project monitors the prescribing of psychotherapeutic medications to adults with severe mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Collaborating with national and local experts in the field of psychiatry, this project produces psychotherapeutic medications guidelines for severe mental health conditions and serious emotional disturbances.

The project promotes the collaborative care model and engaging community partners to build and expand referral networks.

Svetlana Yampolskaya (CFS)
The Impact of S.P.A.R.K. intervention on risky sexual behavior and teen pregnancy prevention
Sponsor: Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
09/26/2016-09/29/2021
Amount: $531,236

The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of S.P.A.R.K. intervention for child welfare involved youth. S.P.A.R.K is a curriculum-based group intervention for youth ages 11-17 living in out-of-home foster care. The curriculum consists of 23 topical lessons made up of a combination of educational and interactive activities on each topic. The study examines the effect of the intervention on involvement in risky sexual behavior, prevention of teen pregnancy, and reduction of other behavioral problems such as aggression and substance use. Approximately 400 youth aged 11-17 who were removed from home and placed in out-of-home care will be recruited. The study design consists of randomized controlled trial with three assessment points. Approximately 200 youth will be randomized to the intervention. The comparison group will receive 'usual care' that includes education services available to all foster care youth and generally provided through schools.

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