|
Maayan Lawental, PhD, MSW, associate professor of instruction in the School of Social Work, has been reappointed as a site visitor for the Council on Social Work Education's Board of Accreditation through 2028. She is joined by Brittany Peters, DSW, LCSW, and Khalilah Caines, PhD, LCSW, both assistant professors of instruction, who were recently appointed to three-year terms as site visitors.
Victoria Culhane, a student in the School of Social Work, is turning her passion for student well-being into action by launching Brighter Times, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides school social workers with flexible funding to help remove financial barriers for students. Inspired by her internship with Hillsborough County Public Schools, the organization supports programs that help students participate in milestone events, extracurricular activities and attendance initiatives that foster belonging and success. To celebrate both her graduation and the nonprofit's relaunch, Culhane will host Brighter Times' inaugural community event Aug. 21, bringing together educators, community members and youth mental health advocates to support students across Hillsborough County.
| | |
USF Study Urges Rethink in US Substance Misuse Prevention
The Mirage
"'According to our analysis, the current prevention infrastructure has not evolved alongside new technological opportunities or leveraged advances in prevention science,' said lead author Dane Minnick, a social work and public health researcher."
Steps to Recovery to add beds for veterans battling substance abuse
Spectrum Bay News 9
"A recent University of South Florida study about opioid settlement funding found there were 204 adults in Pasco County in 2025 with substance use disorder."
| |  | |
Behavioral Health TIG Week: Why We Can’t Wait for Perfect Outcome Data by Freeman Gerhardt
AEA365 Blog
"Hello! I’m Dr. Freeman Gerhardt, a program evaluator with the University of South Florida who works primarily in behavioral health and substance use services. Much of my work involves evaluating community-based programs designed to improve access to care and support recovery."
Summer camps provide immersive learning, campus living for local high school students
USF News
"'Justice Quest is a camp for high schoolers who are interested in all things criminal justice, criminology, and basically they spend a week with us trying to learn about possible careers,' said Cary Hopkins Hall, MA, CAP, camp director."
| | |
Burruss, G.W., Weber, C.L. & Fisher, T. (2026). Video‑based cybersecurity training and protection motivation: evidence from a randomized experiment. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-026-09764-2
Casas, K.O., Blair, KS.C. & Risse, M.R. (2026). An Evaluation of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Secondary (PTR-SEC) Model for Middle School Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01195-9
Fekete, M., Qu, T., Perry, B. L., Peng, S., & Roth, A. R. Later life social interactions in community spaces. Social Forces (2026), soag088. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soag088
Gray, S., Davies, R., Thompson, M., Restrepo, M. A., Bridges, M., Romeo, S., ... & Cain, K. (2026). Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Predictors of Reading Comprehension in Monolingual English and Spanish–English Bilingual Sixth Graders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1-21. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00701
| | | |
Junger, M., Olber, P., Płocki, R., Luyten, H., Koning, L., Muniz, C. N., ... & Furnell, S. (2026). Relationships between cultural orientations, phishing victimization, and phishing recognition: a cross-cultural experiment. Computers & Security, 105050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2026.105050
Minnick, D., Curran, L., & Rigg, K. K. (2026). Reframing Substance Misuse Prevention: a RE-AIM Analysis of Federal Infrastructure and Future Directions. Prevention Science, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-026-01920-4
Moen, T., Restrepo, M. A., & Smith, B. (2026). Misclassification of Emergent Bilinguals: Diagnostic Profiles and Policy Action for Speech-Language Pathologists. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_LSHSS-25-00006
Rallapalli, V., Steinwachs, C., & Corey, R. (2026). Effects of Source-Specific Dynamic Range Compression on Sound Quality for Individuals With Hearing Loss. Trends in Hearing, 30. https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165261471119
| | |
From Research to Action: The Florida Behavioral Health Workforce Summit
Sept. 10-11 | Marshall Student Center | Register
Join the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce for its inaugural summit aimed at translating research into action to grow, retain and innovate Florida’s workforce. From researchers and service providers to policymakers, educators, students and more, this summit brings every voice in the continuum together. Continuing education credits are available.
| |
Adding News, Events, and Publications to the CBCS Website and Newsletter
If you have news/events or recent/upcoming publications you would like posted on the CBCS website and/or in the Communique newsletter, send the details and any attachments to CBCS Marketing (CBCSMarketing@usf.edu). Please send all newsletter submissions no later than Thursday for inclusion in the following week's newsletter.
Be sure to include all pertinent information (title, date, times, location, event description, and contact information) in editable digital text format. Articles included in the CBCS Communiqué may be disseminated to USF Media outlets and/or beyond.
| | | | |
