Faculty & Staff
Faculty
![]() |
Linda M. Callejas, PhDAssistant Research ProfessorPhone: 813-974-6328 |
Research Interests:
Reducing the burden of inequities in communities that experience social marginalization; parents involved in child welfare systems
Linda M. Callejas, Ph.D. is an applied cultural anthropologist with expertise in community-engaged research and qualitative methodologies. Her research and evaluation projects are focused on understanding the mechanisms that lead to behavioral health inequities and implementation of strategies to increase behavioral health equity. One important element of this work involves building knowledge of genuine research collaboration between behavioral health researchers and diverse community members. Through her work, Dr. Callejas seeks to contribute to knowledge and practice focused on reducing the burden of inequities in communities that experience social marginalization.
Dr. Callejas serves as a lead faculty member and advisor for the USF Master of Science Program in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health, which prepares students to serve in public sector and nonprofit organizations that address the behavioral health needs of children, youth, and families. She leads the program’s Leadership Focus Area and teaches courses designed to prepare students for positions of executive leadership with skills and knowledge in organizational capacity building, program implementation, and research translation.
Davidson Abella, A., Ismajli, F., and Callejas, L. M. (2021). Exploring the Potential Benefits of Virtual Child Welfare Services. In R. Adams (Ed.), Child Welfare League of America Essay Collection, COVID-19 and Child Welfare: Challenges and Responses. Washington, DC: CWLA Press.
Callejas, L.M., Abella, A.D., & Ismajli, F. (2020). Rapid ethnographic assessment of pandemic restrictions in child welfare: Lessons from parent and provider experiences. Human Organization, 79, 4, 304-312.
Yampolskaya, S. & Callejas, L.M. (2020). The effect of child mental health service use on child safety and permanency in substance misusing families. Children & Youth Services Review, 111, 104887.