July 14-20, 2025

Nancy Marencin wins ASHA 'Advancing Academic-Research Careers' award

Nancy Marencin, PhD, CCC-SLP, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been selected as one of 10 recipients of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 2025 Advancing Academic-Research Careers Award. The national award supports the retention of early-career, PhD-level faculty in the communication sciences and disorders field through mentored teaching and research development. Read more.

Department of Criminology welcomes new students at Week of Welcome event

The Department of Criminology helped kick off Summer B with a spirited Week of Welcome event on July 2 at the USF St. Petersburg campus. Read more.

AI to Track Facial Expressions to Detect PTSD Symptoms in Children

Analytics India Magazine

"'Even when they weren’t saying much, you could see what they were going through on their faces,' Alison Salloum, professor at the USF School of Social Work, reportedly said. Her observations during trauma interviews laid the foundation for collaboration with Shaun Canavan, an expert in facial analysis at USF’s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing."

USF releases study on human trafficking in Florida

Fox 13 News

"A first-of-its-kind study said there are 200,000 Floridians who are living as sex slaves, and another 500,000 are being forced to work."

Florida records more than 700,000 people as victims of human trafficking in 2024

The Guardian

“'Human trafficking is considered a hidden crime and its victims are often invisible,' Joan Reid, director of the university’s Trafficking in Persons (Tip) Risk to Resilience Research Lab, said."

USF-developed facial analysis AI detects PTSD in kids

Catalyst

"Alison Salloum, a professor at the USF School of Social Work, and Shaun Canavan, an associate professor in the Bellini College for Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, lead an interdisciplinary team developing the system. They found that AI can detect distinct patterns in the facial movements of youth who have experienced trauma."

OPINION: USF is showing up for mental health despite federal cuts

The Oracle

"Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1620 on Wednesday, which details the creation of the state’s largest behavioral health services research institute. This impactful center will be part of the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences."

Sanabria, A. M., Pratt, A. S., Alonzo, C. N., Gallagher, J. F., & Restrepo, M. A. (2025). Unpacking Language-Related Sources of Variability in Bilingual Students With Poor Reading Comprehension. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1–16. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00090

Title: A Positive Deviance Approach in Exploring the Behaviors of Women Who are Mentally Thriving with Autoimmune Disease

Student: Emilie Ellenberg 

Program: Behavioral and Community Sciences

Date: Monday, Aug. 4

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: MHC 2625 or Zoom (Meeting ID: 811 0065 7810 | Passcode: PhD)

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.

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.