Faculty & Staff

Administration, Research & Staff Employees

Monica Landers, M.A., M.S.W.

Monica Landers, PhD, MSW

Assistant Research Professor

Phone: 813-974-2962
Office: MHC2413C

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Research Interests:

Systems of care; commercial sexual exploitation of children; out-of-home care; child welfare; cross-over youth; adolescent parenthood


Monica Landers is employed with the Department of Child and Family Studies at the USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences. She completed her doctoral degree in Behavioral and Community Sciences from the University of South Florida, as well as  Master's degrees in Social Work and Criminology. Monica has previously held positions at a juvenile detention facility, juvenile residential facility, and an alternative school and is now employed as a Social and Behavioral Reseacher.  She endeavors to utilize her educational background and experiences in order to positively affect the lives of adolescents involved in, or who are at risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system.

Monica has collaborated on various projects, publications, and presentations centered on systems of care, commercial sexual exploitation of children, out-of-home care, child welfare, cross-over youth, and adolescent parenthood.  Additionally, she has worked with FMHI staff to implement a Summer Research Institute geared toward introducing high school students to mental health research and the field of behavioral health.  Monica is also interested in the intersection of mental health and juvenile justice, and multi-system services for dually-involved and dually-adjudicated youth.