Faculty Research
School of Social Work
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Faculty Areas of Specialty
Kim Anderson, Ph.D., MSSW, LCSW
Professor
E-mail: kim.anderson@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-5201
- Life Trajectories of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence across the Lifespan
- Economic and Health Inequity in Communities of Concentrated Disadvantage
- Methodologies: Community-Based Participatory Research, Mixed Methods, Qualitative (Grounded Theory, Narrative, Thematic Analysis)
Bethany Backes, Ph.D., MSW, MPH
Assistant Professor
E-mail: Bethany.Backes@ucf.edu
- Violence Against Women
- Multidisciplinary responses to victims
- Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence
- Stalking
- Sexual Violence
- Victim Help-Seeking
- Program evaluation
Susanny Beltran, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor, Center Co-Director
E-mail: Susanny.Beltran@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-4662
- End-of-life care
- Health literacy and health promotion
- Health care disparities among racial/ethnic minority older adults
- Qualitative research
- Gerontology education
Melissa Bermudez, MSW, LCSW, LICSW
Instructor, Online MSW
E-mail: Melissa.Bermudez@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-4655
- Intimate Partner and Power-Based Violence / Trauma
- Military personnel and Veterans
- Culturally inclusive care and services
Kevin Brown, Ph.D.
Lecturer
E-mail: kevin.brown@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-5621
- child welfare
- Family Preservation
- Evidence-based Practice
Heather Burroughs, MSW, LCSW
Instructor
E-mail: heather.burroughs@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-0179
- Clinical Supervision
- Field Education
- Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care for Social Workers
- Licensure
- Hospice Care
- Social Work with the Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities
Catherine Cash, EdD, MA
Student Resource Specialist IV
E-mail: catherine.cash@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6079
- Career Advising
- Student Retention
- Transfer Students
- First Generation College Students
- Nontraditional Students and Adult Learners
- Graduate Student Engagement
Reshawna Chapple, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW
Associate Professor
E-mail: rchapple@ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-2958
- Critical Deaf Studies
- Critical Race Feminism and Intersectionality
- Culturally Responsive Mental Health Treatment and Access to Services
- Intimate Partner Violence and Trauma Recovery
- Qualitative Methods
- Telemental Health
- Informed Care
Sophia Dziegielewski, Ph.D., LCSW
Assessment Coordinator, Professor
E-mail: sophia.dziegielewski@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6342
- Human subject research and protection of the rights of human subjects
- Child protection
- Mental health assessment and treatment
- Health and wellness
- Standardized testing strategies and continuing education and training
- Psychopharmacology
- Ethical Research
Christine Ferretti, MSW, LCSW
Instructor, Online MSW Field Education Coordinator
E-mail: christine.ferretti@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-4987
- Juvenile Sex offender population
- At Risk Youth
Denise Gammonley, Ph.D., LCSW
Professor
E-mail: denise.gammonley@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-2215
- Elder care workforce
- Person-centered care
- Disability, aging & technology
- Global social work
- Scholarship of teaching and learning
Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor, Center Co-Director
E-mail: kgryglew@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-2954
- Suicide prevention
- Health and mental health
- Family engagement & caregiving issues
- Program implementation and evaluation
- Violence Prevention
- Caregiver Health/Well-Being
- Grief and Bereavement
- Community-based participatory research
Shelley Hall, MSW
Instructor
E-mail: shelley.hall@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3056
- Clinical practice in a hospital with neonatal families and maternal/child mental health issues
- Adoption
- Foster Care
Robin Kohn, MSW, LCSW
B.S.W. Program Director, Senior Instructor
E-mail: robin.kohn@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-2967
- Grief and Bereavement
- End-of-life care
- Varying Abilities & Disabilities (primarily mobility & neurological disorders)
- Practice Health
Shawn Lawrence, Ph.D., LCSW
Associate Professor
E-mail: shawn.lawrence@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3112
- Obesity and Stigma
- Substance Abuse
- Student learning environments and outcomes
Shellene Mazany, LCSW, MSW
Associate Instructor, Program Director for the Online MSW Track
E-mail: shellene.mazany@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-1089
- Mental Health and Addictions
- Children
- Youth and Families
- Crisis Intervention
- Assessment and Treatment Planning
- Clinical Supervision
- Online Education and Technology
Maxine McGregor, MSW, MS
Instructor, Program Director of the MSW Face To Face Track
E-mail: maxine.mcgregor@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3037
- child welfare
- domestic violence
- Online Education
Olga Molina, DSW, MSW, LCSW
Associate Professor
E-mail: omolina@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6793
- Divorce
- Intimate partner violence
- Groupwork
Julia O’Connor, Ph.D., MSW, MPH
Assistant Professor
E-mail: julia.oconnor@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3137
- Violence Against Women
- Primary Prevention
- Campus Sexual Violence
- Perpetration
- Evaluation Research
- International Social Work
- HIV/AIDS
- Reproductive Health
Estelli Ramos, MSW, MDiv
Instructor
E-mail: estelli.ramos@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3161
- LGBTQ
- Diversity
- Macro-Practice
- Spirituality
- Latino Individuals and Groups
Iradly Roche, MSW
Associate Instructor
E-mail: iradly.roche@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-1068
- Alternative School Social Work for Exceptional Student Education
- Clinical Social Work for Residential and Academic program working with teen parents
Julie Steen, Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor
E-mail: julie.steen@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6452
- Child welfare organizations
- Child Welfare Policy
- Human Rights Education
Josette vonBirgelen, MSW
Instructor
E-mail: josette.vonbirgelen@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3283
- Field Education
- Child trauma focusing on sexual abuse and family reunification
- Supervisor role within Field education
Xiaochuan (Sharon) Wang, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor
E-mail: xiaochuan.wang@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-3705
- Health And Mental Health Care Access, Utilization, and Quality
- Nursing Home Quality and Workforce Capacity
- Culturally sensitive care for racial and ethnic minority older adults
Tracy Wharton, Ph.D., MEd, MSc, MSW, LCSW
Associate Professor, Public Affairs-Social Work Program Liaison
E-mail: Tracy.Wharton@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-2819
- Healthcare access and equity for vulnerable or marginalized populations
- Workforce development for interprofessional healthcare settings
- Dementia caregiver wellbeing
James Whitworth, Ph.D., LCSW
Associate Professor
E-mail: james.whitworth@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6136
- Military members and veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Assessment and treatment of trauma responses
- Military social work education programs
- Alternative treatments for PTSD
- Service Dogs for PTSD
- Equine Therapy for PTSD
Jacqueline Withers, MSW, LCSW
Associate Instructor
E-mail: jacquie.withers@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-5716
- Medical Social Work
- oncology
- hospice
Asli Cennet Yalim, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor
E-mail: asli.yalim@ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-4660
- Refugee mental health and psychosocial wellbeing
- Syrian refugees
- Forced migration in the Middle East
- Use of mental health services among refugee and immigrant populations
- Community-based participatory research
- Culturally competent practice
- Resilience and empowerment
- Refugee Women
Current Grants
Social Work
COVID-19 cases and deaths in U.S. assisted living facilities: An examination of influencing factors
Funding Type: Internal
Funding Agency: Internal - UCF
Social Work
Florida LEADS (Launch, Engage, Activate Departments and Systems for Zero Suicide) project
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Social Work
Examining Facility, Quality, and State Contextual Factors Associated with COVID-19 Outbreaks in U.S. Nursing Homes
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging
Social Work
The impacts of refugee policies on the wellbeing of muslim refugees in the United States and Germany
Funding Type: Foundation/Industry
Funding Agency: Society for Psychological Study of Social Issue
Social Work
Program Evaluation Services for K9 Partners for Patriots
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: K9 Partners for Patriots
Social Work
The Florida REACH Translation Project: Translating an EBP for an Outpatient Clinical Setting
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Health: Ed & Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program
Social Work
Strong Foundations
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: EMBRACE FAMILIES (CBC)/CHILDREN’S BUREAU
Social Work
Central Florida Pathways to Awareness, Support and Services II (C PASS II)
Funding Type: Extramural Research
Funding Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)