Faculty & Staff
Faculty
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Tammy Jorgensen Smith, PhD, CRCAssociate ProfessorPhD Coordinator/LiaisonPhone: (813) 974-0973 |
Research Interests:
Development, testing and implementation of innovative, customized employment service models to promote full inclusion and self-determination for people with complex disabilities
Dr. Smith is an Associate Professor in the Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling Program (RMHC) in the Department of Child and Family Studies and a formal affiliate of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC) - a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Dr. Smith has dedicated her career to improving programs and systems that impact the lives of persons with disabilities. Her research focuses on the development, testing, and implementation of innovative service models to promote full inclusion and self-determination for people with complex disabilities.
Currently, Dr. Smith is the Co-Principal Investigator on two large federal grants:
- The Achieving Competitive Customized Employment through Specialized Services for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries (ACCESS-Vets) grant is a federally funded, multi-site (Tampa VA, Richmond VA/VCU, USF) study. The study is evaluating the ACCESS-Vets intervention to improve employment outcomes for Veterans with spinal cord injuries. Dr. Smith developed the ACCESS intervention through a NIMH (R34) study. The ACCESS-Vets grant allows us to test the intervention with a different population within a different service system. A mixed methods, randomized controlled trial design is being utilized for this study.
- The RSA Scholar Training Grant, funded through the U.S. Department of Education - Rehabilitation Service Administration, provides scholarships to master’s level students who aspire to enter the field of vocational rehabilitation (VR). The primary aim of this training grant is to increase the number of highly qualified professionals who work in the VR field and to train these scholars in customized employment strategies.
Dr. Smith is also a faculty member of the FCIC Employment Team and contributes to the successful completion of elements of the core funding grant that supports the UCEDD. She serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Rehabilitation – Work Rehabilitation and she is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Rehabilitation, the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the International Journal of Autism and Related Disabilities. Dr. Smith has published multiple peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters and frequently presents her research at local, state, national, and international conferences. In addition to her research and service activities, Dr. Smith teaches several courses through the CRMHC master’s degree program and the Behavioral Healthcare doctoral program within the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. She also serves as the Ph.D. program liaison for the Department of Child and Family Studies.
Current Research and Training
Achieving Competitive Customized Employment through Specialized Services for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries (ACCESS-Vets)
The ACCESS-Vets study is evaluating the impact of a proven customized employment service on employment rates of Veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI) who have not been successful with other vocational service options. Results will guide research and practices for adoption of ACCESS-Vets as part of the Veterans Health Administration’s vocational services to improve employment outcomes for Veterans with SCI.
RSA Long Term Training Grant - A Solution to Personnel Shortages in the Florida Public Vocational Rehabilitation System
The major purpose of the RSA academic scholarship award is to increase the supply of rehabilitation personnel available for employment as rehabilitation counselors in public and private sector and in nonprofit agencies involved in the vocational rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. The focus of the project is to integrate customized employment (CE) 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.