Graduate
BCS PhD Students
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B. Michelle Beekman Research Areas: Reducing Mental Illness Stigma; Contact-Based Stigma Reduction; Developing
and Evaluating Stigma-Reduction Programs Personal Hyperlink: http://kristinkosyluk.weebly.com/meet-the-team.html CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/beekman-michelle.pdf |
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Noé Erazo Research Area: Bilingualism and biliteracy Mr. Erazo is a graduate research associate at the Rightpath Research and Innovation Center. With support and mentorship from Hispanic leaders, Erazo became the first person in his family to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He has served the Hispanic community in many capacities, including working as an English-Spanish interpreter at a pediatric rehabilitation center. As a steppingstone, Erazo was recruited to coordinate a statewide project in Texas that worked with hundreds of public schools and Head Start programs for the School Readiness Curriculum Based Measurement System (SRCBM) study. His successful work on this study continues in Florida where he works with Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs to develop English and Spanish language assessments. Erazo’s long-term goals include conducting research in bilingualism, biliteracy, and educational disparities among minority children. Personal Hyperlink: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/cfs/faculty-staff/erazo-n.aspx CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/erazo-noe.pdf |
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John Martin Research Areas: Transition-Age Foster Care Youth and Self-Determination Development John Martin is a full-time graduate student at the University of South Florida who earned his undergraduate degree in Experimental psychology from the University of South Carolina. John’s current interest centers around the development of Self-Determination within vulnerable youth, specifically those in social systems like foster care. John hopes his research will provide evidence for the support of Self-Determination development in environments that maybe more restrictive. |
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Erica Anderson Research areas: Minority health and mental health disparities; Access to Mental Health Services; Comorbid behavioral health disorders; and Evaluating Mental Health Programs Erica Anderson, M.S. is a dual PhD/MPH student. She is in her third year in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program, and is a first-year student in the MPH program with a concentration in Behavioral Health at the University of South Florida. Her research interests are in culturally relevant mental health services, physical and mental health disparities, and integrating non-traditional health workers (i.e. Community Health Workers) into the behavioral healthcare system. Erica earned her B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Philosophy from the University of Tampa, and an M.S. in Counseling with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health from Bethune-Cookman University. She was awarded a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship from the Florida Education Fund. Currently, she is a reviewer for the Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research and works on an internal grant funded project aimed at reducing the stigma of mental illness in the African American community. Presently, Erica is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern (RMHCI) and has experience working with a diverse client population, providing psychotherapy in a variety of treatment settings. Outside of school, she serves as a mentor with the Hillsborough Education Foundation, Take Stock in Children Program and is actively engaged in community service projects. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/anderson-erica.pdf |
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Leigh Ashley Research Areas: Positive Behavior Support, peer-mediated intervention, and supported inclusion. Leigh Ashley is a graduate associate for Dr. Lise Fox in the Department of Child and Family Studies. She works under Dr. Fox with the OSEP-funded National Center for Pyramid Model Innovation (NCPMI). The goals of NCPMI are to assist states and programs in their implementation of sustainable systems for the implementation of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Sociaotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs with a focus on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, promoting family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation and fostering inclusion. Leigh has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis since 2004 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2009. She has experience working with children and their families in a variety of treatment settings. She is currently engaged in dissertation research projects related to peer-mediated intervention to support early childhood social skills development. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/ashley-leigh.pdf |
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T. Freeman Gerhardt Research Areas: Behavioral health & criminal justice policy; systems delivery and integration; implementation science. Freeman is a graduate research and teaching associate in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy. Currently, he is a case manager at two psychiatric hospitals in Hillsborough County and an Instructor of Record. His research is focused on the intersection of mental illness/substance use disorder (MI/SUD) and the criminal justice system, specifically system-oriented strategies to reduce recidivism. He is interested in methods to increase cross-collaboration and integration between historically disparate systems of care. |
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Erica Sappington Research Area: Behavioral health and quality of life in older adults Erica Sappington is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. She earned her Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling and B.S in Psychology and Sociology at The University of South Florida. She works with Dr. Carla VandeWeerd at the University of Florida as a research coordinator in The Villages, Florida. Erica’s research interests are integrating mental health services for older adults in primary care and behavioral health program evaluation. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/sappington-erica.pdf |
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Lacey Anne Tucker Research Areas: Implementation science; Action research; Rural behavioral health; Behavioral healthcare reform with a focus on task shifting and low-intensity interventions Lacey Tucker, MSW, RCSWI, MPH, CPH, is a Doctoral Student in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida (USF), College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. Lacey earned her Master’s in Social Work and in Public Health from USF in 2019, and earned her Public Health Certification in 2019, and her Registered Clinical Social Work Intern license in 2020. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health from the Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Drug Abuse (ITRE) in 2019 and currently works as a Graduate Associate for the ITRE. Lacey provides outpatient counseling services to children and families with diverse behavioral challenges and is being supervised to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Personal Hyperlink: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacey-tucker-27154014a/ CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/tucker-lacey.pdf |
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Alexandra Albizu-Jacob Research Areas: Implementation Science in Behavioral Health, Culturally-responsive evidence-based services, Psycho-oncology Alexandra is a Learning and Development Facilitator in the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida. She received her Master's degree in public health with a concentration in behavioral health from the USF College of Public Health. She was also among the first cohort of scholars in the Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Behavioral Health, a federally funded state-of-the-art research education program that teaches the practical skills of translational research and implementation science in the field of adolescent behavioral health. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida. Her research interests include psycho-oncology, child and adolescent behavioral health, implementation science, positive family relationships, and the integration of trauma-informed care in health systems. Alexandra strives to utilize her educational background and experiences to positively affect the overall health and well-being of children and families. Alexandra assists on a wide range of research and evaluation projects related to the overall health and well-being of children and families including, trauma-informed care, infant-family mental health, men and boys' mental well-being, father-child relationships and literacy, and pediatric psychosocial oncology and obesity. She is currently the project coordinator for a randomized controlled trial (R01CA240319-01A1) awarded to Dr. Marilyn Stern and funded by the National Institutes of Health to test the efficacy of the NOURISH-T+ intervention in pediatric psychosocial oncology and obesity. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/albizujacob-alex.pdf |
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Ana Aluisy Research Area: Mental Health Disparities and Culturally Relevant Mental Health Services Ana Aluisy is a Ph.D. student in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida. Ana is a Bilingual Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist. She specializes in working with multicultural relationships. Ana is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and has served as the President of the Suncoast Mental Health Counselors Association (SMHCA). Ana has been providing counseling services in English and Spanish since 2007. She is passionate about learning and helping individuals thrive in their relationships. She is hoping that her studies help her to better understand mental health service disparities for minorities, especially bilingual and Spanish-speaking individuals. Personal Hyperlink: http://anaaluisy.com/ |
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Skye Bristol Research Areas: Substance misuse, racial/ethnic health disparities, public policy, youth development Skye Bristol, CHES®, is currently a doctoral student in the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences at the University of South Florida. In 2020, she earned a B.S. in Health Education, with minors in Nonprofit Organizational Leadership and Sociology from the University of Florida. Skye’s past research experience at UF is in the Study of Teen Opioid Misuse and Prevention (STOMP) Lab with Dr. Micah E. Johnson. Her work focused on the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to analyze the relationship between dropping out of school and opioid misuse. Skye is currently completing her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Micah E. Johnson. Skye’s primary research interests are in substance misuse, racial/ethnic health disparities, public policy, and youth development. In the future, she plans to conduct research that would target priority populations and utilize her findings to close gaps between research policy and practice by influencing government action. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/bristol-skye.pdf |
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Mary Goldsworthy Research Area: Health and well-being for vulnerable populations, older adults, and those who have experienced trauma. Mary Goldsworthy is a current doctoral student in the PhD program of the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at USF. Originally from Spokane, Washington, Mary moved to Oahu, Hawaii, to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Gerontology from Hawaii Pacific University. Initially, after graduation she worked on developing and implementing tobacco prevention and control policies in Hawaii with the Department of Health. Then she moved to Florida, where she completed her Master in Public Health (MPH) from the University of South Florida, and worked for the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) as a field researcher, traveling to different U.S. cities to conduct research related to tobacco and other health concerns. Mary is particularly invested in mixed-methods research, using qualitative and quantitative methods to study the health and well-being for vulnerable populations, including older adults and those who have experienced trauma. Currently, she is working with Dr. Amber Gum as a graduate research assistant on a patient-centered partnership addressing trauma in primary care patients (funded by PCORI) and a mixed-methods longitudinal study of adverse outcomes for older adults to improve their quality of life (funded by RRF). |
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Kimberly Menendez Research Areas: Adolescent drug and violence prevention; Social emotional learning development; Implementation science in behavioral health; Evidence-based programs in school settings Kimberly Menendez is the Senior Curriculum Developer of Too Good prevention education programs at the C.E. Mendez Foundation in Tampa, FL. She served as a Community Agency Mentor for the University of South Florida’s Institute of Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health from 2015-2019. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Florida and her M.S. in Forensic Psychology from Walden University. Kimberly is a Certified Prevention Professional and holds a graduate certificate in Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health from the University of South Florida where she is now a doctoral student pursuing a PhD in Community and Behavioral Sciences. Publication: Rigg, K. K., & Menendez, K. (2018). Drug prevention programs in schools: Selecting program providers. Health Education Journal, 77(5), 586-597. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/menendez-kimberly.pdf |
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Tracy Bales Research Areas: Behavioral economics in health; Implementation science in behavioral health; Health communication, decision-making, and goal-setting behavior; Effect of art and environmental context on well-being Tracy Bales is a doctoral student in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Design from the University of Florida’s College of Architecture and a Post-Bachelor of Art with Honors in Psychology from the University of South Florida. Tracy earned a Master of Public Health and Graduate Certificate in Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health from the University of South Florida and is Certified in Public Health. Her previous research focused on behavioral economics in health, implicit health decision-making under stress, substance-use in adolescents, and implementation fidelity in substance-use prevention programming. Her current research interests include behavioral economics, health communication, decision-making and goal-setting behavior, and the effects of art and context on behavioral health CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/bales-tracy.pdf |
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Kelsey A. Greenfield Research Areas: Mental Health, Substance Use, Co-occurring Disorders, Criminal Justice, Program Evaluation. Kelsey Greenfield (She/Her) is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy. Before pursuing a Ph.D., she was a criminal defense attorney with the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office. Her research is primarily focused on the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice. Ms. Greenfield is especially interested in community-based intervention programs as a method of reducing recidivism in the justice-involved population with co-occurring disorders. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/greenfield-kelsey.pdf |
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James-Angelo Suarez Research Areas: School-based implementation of evidence-based practices; Child and adolescent behavioral health; Health and well-being for vulnerable populations James-Angelo Suarez, MPH, CPH, is a first-year Doctoral Student in the College of Behavioral & Community Science at the University of South Florida. He also works as a Graduate Assistant in the Substance Misuse and Addiction Research Training (SMART) Lab in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy under Dr. Micah Johnson and Dr. Kimberly Johnson. He previously worked as a middle school educator. He received his Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral Health from the USF College of Public Health. He was also a member of the 6th cohort of scholars in the Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Behavioral Health (ITRE), where he partnered with the C.E. Mendez Foundation, developers of the Too Good programs. He conducted qualitative research on implementer perspectives of the Too Good implementation support tool. James-Angelo’s current research interests primarily focus on child and adolescent behavioral health, particularly regarding the implementation of evidence-based behavioral health practices in Title I schools. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/suarez-james-angelo.pdf |
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Elzbieta Wiedbusch Research areas: Substance misuse, racial/ethnic health disparities, family cycles of substance misuse, the Criminal Justice System and Juvenile Justice System Elzbieta (Ela) Wiedbusch is a Presidential Fellow in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program. Hailing from Illinois, she earned a Bachelor of Science in both Psychology and Criminal Justice/Criminology from Loyola University Chicago. Ela’s past research focused on chronic illness, substance use disorder, community-based recovery homes, and treatment & recovery from substance misuse among vulnerable populations. Currently, her research explores racial/ethnic health disparities, family effects on substance misuse, and substance and alcohol misuse among justice-involved youths. Ela is also involved in a pilot program that incorporates mental health counselors into Tampa’s Police Department. Ultimately, she aims to implement evidence-based policies and rehabilitative programs in the Criminal Justice system. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/weidbusch-elzbieta.pdf |
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Allahon Bailey Research areas: effects of intergenerational and historical trauma on Black parents’ child rearing; Black crossover youth; Black families’ mental health Allahon earned her B.S. in Criminal Justice with a minor in Family Studies from the University of Nebraska Kearney, and an M.S. in Child, Youth, and Family Studies from University of Nebraska Lincoln. She was awarded a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship from the Florida Education Fund. Allahon researches the dynamics of intergenerational trauma in African American families. Her goal is to create an evidence-based strengths-based program tailored to address the educational/mental health needs of BIPOC families and promote resilience, positive family dynamics, and healthy, culturally rooted child rearing practices. This research will provide a foundation of support for an underserved population to thrive under cultural oppression. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/bailey-allahon.pdf |
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Mina Davari Research Areas: Obesity and Eating Behaviors in Pediatric Cancer Survivors Mina Davari is a Ph.D. student in Behavioral and Community Sciences within the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida. Currently, she is a graduate assistant on National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Dr. Marilyn Stern. Her previous research mainly focused on type 2 diabetes and her current research interests are nutrition- and health-related behaviors, obesity and eating behaviors in survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer. Mina hopes that her research helps her to better understand obesogenic behavioral patterns in pediatric cancer CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/davari-mina.pdf |
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Emilie Ellenberg Research Areas: Unmet mental health needs of persons with chronic illness; health disparities in behavioral health; substance misuse Emilie is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH#13313) and Florida Certified Addictions Professional (CAP#5796). Emilie has worked in the field of mental health for over ten years. Emilie has specialty training in eating disorders, addictions, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Emilie returned to USF as an instructor for the department of Mental Health Law & Policy in August, 2020. In the past, Emilie has worked as Program Director of a Forensic Residential Treatment Facility and in all levels of mental health care including community-based care, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential. Driven by experience in therapeutic practice, Emilie’s current research now aims provide mental health care to all persons, especially the disadvantaged such as the chronically ill. Working under Dr. Kathleen Moore, she has been conducting qualitative research on barriers to accessing care in the Tampa Bay area. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/ellenberg-emilie.pdf |
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Brooke Haney Research Areas: Substance Use and Co-occurring Disorders, Criminal Justice and Recidivism Brooke Haney is a Graduate Student Success Fellow in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program. Originally from Southern Maryland, Brooke came to Tampa where she earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in both Psychology and Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Tampa. She is an alumna of the Summer Research Institute at the Florida Mental Health Institute and previously worked as a Research Support Specialist in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy. In addition, she worked as a contractor determining recidivism for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Problem-Solving Courts. Brooke is particularly interested in quantitative data analysis of substance use and co-occurring disorders as well as their interactions with criminal justice outcomes. She is also interested in epidemiological research pertaining to the prevalence and incidence of substance use and co-occurring disorders. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/haney-brooke.pdf |
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Jocelyn Jarvis Research areas: Health disparities; mental and behavioral health; marginalized populations; adolescent and young adult; program development and evaluation Jocelyn graduated in 2021 with her bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, with certificates in Quantitative Social Data Analysis and Cultures and Communities, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement scholar, and currently a Graduate Student Success Fellowship awardee. Her current research interests are to investigate health disparities, especially with regards to mental and behavioral health in adolescents and young adults who are apart of marginalized groups. She is especially interested in community-based program development and implementation. Jocelyn is currently working on projects investigating health disparities, food insecurity, and mental health under the guidance of Drs. Linda Callejas and Marilyn Stern. Ultimately, she aims to provide culturally informed mental and behavioral health programming for adolescents and young adults who are apart of marginalized populations. For further information, you may contact Jocelyn at her USF email address (jarvis10@usf.edu). CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/jarvis-jocelyn.pdf |
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Juliana Cortes Juliana Cortes is a recipient of the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship and was accepted to USF’s Behavioral and Community Sciences PhD program Fall 2023. She was born in St. Petersburg, Florida and was raised in Puerto Rico. After graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Florida International University, she returned to Puerto Rico and finished her Masters in Science in Clinical Psychology graduating with Distinction. Juliana worked as a vocational evaluator, and later on as a family assessment specialist at the Miami Dade County Drug Court. Working at Drug Court, she discovered her passion for law and went on to graduate magna cum laude from the night program at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Law. Juliana has been practicing Employment Law in Tampa, Florida since 2016. Juliana’s research interest is the destigmatization of mental health illness within the legal community. Attorneys are at high risk of developing mental health issues to the degree that within the top ten causes of death is suicide. Her goal is to develop empirically based interventions for attorneys experiencing mental health issues by destigmatizing and increasing the utilization of treatment services. |
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Sahar Heydari Research area: Diet and Nutrition in the etiology and prevention of cancer, Food insecurity, Hunger Sahar is a Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida. She worked in a specialized cancer hospital for four years and conducted some accomplishments, including establishing nutritional treatment plans in the ICU and the cancer ward, training various groups of doctors, nurses, and patients, educating nutritionists and updating nutrition guidelines, among others. Sahar also collaborated on two research projects on Breast Cancer and Leukemia. She is currently a graduate assistant on a National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Dr. Marilyn Stern. Her research goals are to address food insecurity among patients with cancer and the community overall. Sahar’s ultimate goal is to seek to end and eliminate hunger across the world. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/heydari-sahar.pdf |
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Christine Hugh Research areas: Developmental disabilities; Best practices in employment and transition support for neurodiverse youth and adults. Christine Hugh is a Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. student. She also received her M.S. in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health from USF. Presently, she serves as the Program Director for LAUNCH at USF, housed under the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC) in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. During her time with LAUNCH, she’s developed and expanded several programs that promote successful employment and higher education outcomes for adults on the spectrum. Originally from New York, Christine moved to Tampa in 2014, where she began working with LAUNCH. Before her move, Christine provided person-centered case management, job coaching, career counseling, placement, and retention services to adults with disabilities and histories of incarceration. |
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Cleo Morris Research Area: Childhood and Adolescent Trauma Impacts in Academic Settings; Trauma-Informed Learning; Behavioral Evaluation in Schools. Cleo Morris is a Ph.D. student in the Behavioral and Community Sciences program at the Univerity of South Florida. Cleo earned her Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies and Master's in Teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research is focused on childhood and adolescent trauma's impact on students' behavior and achievement in academic settings. After earning certifications in Behavior Intervention and Support and Child Abuse and Neglect, Cleo created individualized learning and care programs for students experiencing various traumas at home. Cleo was able to restructure the classroom curriculum and schedule to provide students with trauma-informed resources that positively impacted their learning and behavior. Upon exiting the classroom, Cleo created culturally responsive educational recourses focused on mental health initiatives. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/morris-cleo.pdf |
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Dr. Jeffrey Sargent OTD, OTR/L Research Areas: Community Reintegration with a focus on military and veteran population with and without TBI; Occupational Identity Dr. Jeffrey Sargent OTD, OTR/L is a Doctoral Student in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida (USF). Dr. Sargent previously served in the Army Infantry for 13 years with several tours in Iraq. After service, he completed his bachelor’s in health sciences at USF. In 2016 he was awarded the prestigious Pat Tillman Scholarship, and Berkman Scholarship. He completed clinical doctorate at Gannon University in occupational therapy. He currently works at the James A. Haley VA hospital where he evaluates and treats active-duty special operations members. He will be transitioning to the VA’s HUD-VASH program which serves the homeless population. Dr. Sargent has published several articles focusing on occupational therapy graduate student’s perceptions of research, and community reintegration for the co-occurring forensic population. He is also assisting with several active research projects in the VA. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/sargent-jeffrey.pdf |
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Estefania Simon Research areas: Intersections of disability and the criminal justice system Estefania received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Behavioral Healthcare with a concentration in Applied Behavioral Analysis with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from the University of South Florida. She received a Masters degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling in 2020. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE). She is an RSA scholar and was awarded a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship from the Florida Education Fund. Estefania's research on the intersection of disability and the justice system is aimed at understanding and addressing the unique challenges and barriers that individuals with disabilities face within the legal and criminal justice systems. By focusing on this area, Estefania aims to shed light on the various issues that contribute to the marginalization and disadvantage experienced by people with disabilities in the justice system. She ultimately wishes to improve the lives of people with disabilities through impactful policy changes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/estefania-simon/ CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/simon-estefania.pdf |
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Ciara Spivey Research Areas: Reducing stigma surrounding behavioral health through development and evaluation of stigma-reduction programs Ciara Spivey is a Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida. She previously earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at USF and also joined the Stigma Action Research (STAR) Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant working with Dr. Kristin Kosyluk. Ciara’s research experience in the STAR Lab has been concentrated on reducing the stigma surrounding behavioral health conditions through her work on the Up To Me project, a disclosure-based program that focuses on self-stigma regarding mental health challenges in college students (funded by NIDILRR). Her research goals and interests are to continue to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and create real-world impact concerning at-risk populations, including children, college students, and domestic violence victims. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/spivey-ciara.pdf |
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Sierra Tentis Research Areas: Health Disparities, Implications of Trauma Exposure And Interventions, Comorbid Behavioral Health Disorders Sierra Tentis is a graduate student in the Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and Justice & Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2020 and an M.P.H. at the University of South Florida in 2023. She currently works with Dr. Amber Gum on a grant comparing two forms of intervention for older adults with depression. Her research interests include health disparities, trauma exposure and suitable interventions, and comorbid conditions associated with mental health disorders. Additionally, Sierra is interested in program evaluation and mixed-methods research. CV: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/documents/bcs-students-cv/tentis-sierra.pdf |