July 7-13, 2025

FCBHW awards inaugural research grants to strengthen Florida’s behavioral health workforce

Less than a year after being created by the Florida Legislature, the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce is awarding its first round of research grants aimed at identifying and addressing urgent gaps in the state’s mental health systems. Read more.

Jerome Galea named chair of Online Master of Social Work program

Jerome Galea, PhD, LCSW, has been appointed chair of the Online Master of Social Work program in the School of Social Work, effective Aug. 7, 2025. Galea brings extensive experience from both academic and nonprofit fields, having led interdisciplinary research teams and community-based health initiatives in the U.S. and internationally. Read more.

Natural Disasters, Climate Change, and the Impact on Hospice and Palliative Care Teams and Their Patients

AAPHM

“'A lot of people are putting a lot of time into trying to organize medical groups to combat climate change. Others are asking: How do we talk to our patients about climate?' said Debra Dobbs, PhD, a sociologist who conducts clinical trial research related to palliative care and hospice in long-term care settings at the University of South Florida and lead author of the recent study Mortality among Nursing Home Residents Enrolled in Hospice and Hospice Utilization Post-Hurricane Irma."

A simple scan can determine aging speed — and more

WGN9

"Researchers at the University of South Florida say this critical tool will help clinicians better care for a population who may not have the language skills or cognitive development to communicate their struggles."

[AI/PTSD study by Alison Salloum, PhD]

AI Tracks Facial Expressions To Support PTSD Detection in Children

Technology Networks

"The interdisciplinary team, led by Alison Salloum of the USF School of Social Work and Shaun Canavan from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, designed the system to offer an objective and cost-effective assessment method."

AI Facial Analysis Detects PTSD

Neuroscience News

"Led by Alison Salloum, professor in the USF School of Social Work, and Shaun Canavan, associate professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, the interdisciplinary team is building a system that could provide clinicians with an objective, cost-effective tool to help identify PTSD in children and adolescents, while tracking their recovery over time."

AI system offers new hope for diagnosing PTSD in children

News Medical Life Sciences

"Led by Alison Salloum, professor in the USF School of Social Work, and Shaun Canavan, associate professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, the interdisciplinary team is building a system that could provide clinicians with an objective, cost-effective tool to help identify PTSD in children and adolescents, while tracking their recovery over time."

USF AI Analyzes Faces for Early Youth PTSD Signs

The Mirage

"'This really started when I noticed how intense some children's facial expressions became during trauma interviews,' Salloum said. 'Even when they weren't saying much, you could see what they were going through on their faces. That's when I talked to Shaun about whether AI could help detect that in a structured way.'"

USF Research Unveils AI Technology for Detecting Early PTSD Indicators in Youth Through Facial Analysis

Bioengineer.org

"This interdisciplinary endeavor, spearheaded by Professor Alison Salloum from the USF School of Social Work and Associate Professor Shaun Canavan from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, leverages cutting-edge technology to capture the subtle facial expressions of children, offering a novel approach to mental health diagnosis.""

Aathreya, S., Nourivandi, T., Salloum, A., Ruth, L. J., Storch, E. A., & Canavan, S. (2025). Multimodal, context‑based dataset of children with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Pattern Recognition Letters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2025.05.003

Dutta, M., Murray, L. L., Park, H., Burklow, E., Bose, A., Kim, H., Greenslade, K. J., Ramage, A. E., Combs, C., Balasubramanian, A., & Casilio, M. (2025). Discourse analysis in aphasia: A clinical tutorial (Dutta et al., 2025) (Version 1). ASHA journals. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29287505.v1

Galea, J. T., Aldhalimi, A., Burrows, K. O., Reap, M., Schwartz, L., Fanelli, F. F., Wheaton, W., & Parr, T. (2025). USAID's mental health work can and must live on. The Lancet Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00198-1

Mental Health & Wellness in the Workplace Course

Learn to attract and retain talent by creating a workplace culture that fosters wellness and allows for the free expression of issues related to employee mental health, behavioral health, and addiction. Start the course today.

Social Work Speaker Series: Animal Assisted Interventions

July 7 | 6-7 p.m.| Online event

In this engaging session on Animal-Assisted Interventions in social work practice, participants will discover how therapy animals can enhance client connection, emotional regulation, and healing. Register here.

Project MABAS 2025 Virtual Summer Institute 

Strategies to Support and Enhance the Promotion of Mental Health Wellbeing of Children and Youth in High Need Schools

July 11 | 9 a.m.-noon

The Project MABAS 2025 Summer Institute will be divided into four parts, offered on four different days. Register here.

Info sessions: Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Substance Use

July 25 | 12:30-1:30 p.m.

September 5 | 12-1 p.m.

October 3 | 12-1 p.m.

The Institute for Translational Research Education in Adolescent Substance Use (ITRE) is accepting applications for its next cohort! The program prepares scholars to conduct community-based research using implementation science and translational research techniques. Graduate students and working professionals are eligible to apply.