Faculty Research
School of Social Work
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Faculty Research Interests
Kim Anderson, Ph.D., MSSW, LCSW
- Assessment of trauma and recovery for survivors of violence
- Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth in Trauma Populations
- Intimate partner violence - including rural and Native American populations
- Childhood exposure to domestic violence across the lifespan
- Digital Storytellng as a trauma narrative intervention
Bethany Backes, Ph.D., MSW, MPH
- 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
- 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
- Intimate Partner and Power-Based Violence / Trauma
- Military personnel and Veterans
- Culturally inclusive care and services
Mary Ann Burg, Ph.D., LCSW
- Women's health
- Cancer survivorship and access to care
- Cancer health disparities
- Integrated behavioral healthcare
Heather Burroughs, MSW, LCSW
- Clinical Supervision
- Field Education
- Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care for Social Workers
Catherine Cash, EdD, MA
- Career Advising
- Student Retention
- Transfer Students
- First Generation College Students
- Nontraditional Students and Adult Learners
- Graduate Student Engagement
Reshawna Chapple, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW
- 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
Sophia Dziegielewski, Ph.D., LCSW
- 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
Denise Gammonley, Ph.D., LCSW
- Elder care workforce
- Person-centered care
- Disability, aging & technology
- Global social work
- Scholarship of teaching and learning
Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D., MSW
- Suicide prevention
- Health and mental health
- Family engagement & caregiving issues
- Program implementation and evaluation
Shawn Lawrence, Ph.D., LCSW
- Obesity and Stigma
- Substance Abuse
- Student learning environments and outcomes
Ana Leon, Ph.D., LCSW
- Child Mental Health
- Impact of Early Trauma on Child Mental Health and Development
- The Effects of Parenting on Very Young Children
- Infant Mental Health
Linda A. Long, Ph.D., MSW
- Family Factors & Youth Academic Achievement
- Culture as Social Determinant of Mental Health
- Help-Seeking Behaviors of African-Americans
- Academically Talented Diverse Students
- Child & Adolescent Mental Health
- Family Therapy with Families in Child Welfare
- Bibliotherapy as youth Treatment Intervention
Shellene Mazany, LCSW, MSW
- Mental Health and Addictions
- Children
- Youth and Families
- Crisis Intervention
- Assessment and Treatment Planning
- Clinical Supervision
- Online Education and Technology
Maxine McGregor, MSW, MS
- child welfare
- domestic violence
Olga Molina, DSW, MSW, LCSW
- Divorce
- Intimate partner violence
- African American and Latino/a Families
- Undocumented Families
- Mental health
- Groupwork
Julia O’Connor, Ph.D., MSW, MPH
- Violence Against Women
- Primary Prevention
- Campus Sexual Violence
- Perpetration
- Evaluation Research
Julie Steen, Ph.D., MSW
- Child welfare organizations
- Child Welfare Policy
- Human Rights Education
Shabu Varghese, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW, CAP
- Health-related quality of life
- End-stage renal disease
- Transportation for dialysis patients
- Social Support
- Kidney transplant
- Treatment adherence
- Poverty
Sharon (Xiaochuan) Wang, Ph.D., MSW
- Health and mental health service access and utilization
- Correlates of help-seeking behaviors
- Healthcare and eldercare workforce capacity assessment
- Culturally sensitive care for racial and ethnic minority older adults
Tracy Wharton, Ph.D., MEd, MSc, MSW, LCSW
- Healthcare access and quality of care for older adults with chronic conditions
- Healthcare access and equity for vulnerable or marginalized populations
- Workforce development for interprofessional healthcare settings
- Program evaluation
- Dementia caregiver wellbeing
James Whitworth, Ph.D., LCSW
- 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
Jacqueline Withers, MSW, LCSW
- Medical Social Work
Asli Cennet Yalim, Ph.D., MSW
- 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
Current and Recent Grants
Florida Linking Individuals Needing Care
PI: Kim Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
$603,773.00, 9/30/2014 – 9/29/2019
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (Part of a three-year, $3.68 million award)
Comprehensive School Safety Initiative: Developing Knowledge About What Works to Make Schools Safe
Co-PI: Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
(with PI Kristina Childs and Co-PI Roberto Potter, UCF Criminal Justice)
$305,862.00, 1/1/2015 – 6/30/2019
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (to Brevard Public Schools then to UCF)[total NIJ award is $2,269,744]
Social Work HEALS: Social Work Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars
PI: Tracy Wharton, Ph.D.
$95,650.00, 7/27/2015 – 7/26/2020
Council on Social Work Education & National Association of Social Workers
Central Florida Pathways to Awareness, Support and Services I (C PASS I)
PI: Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
Co-PI: Kristina Childs Fisher
$375,000.00, 9/30/2015 – 3/31/2019
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Expanding SBIRT Workforce Capacity in Central Florida: SBIRT Training for Graduate Social Work Students and Community Health Professionals
PI: Shawn Lawrence, Ph.D.
Co-PI: Mary Ann Burg
Co-PI: Reshawna Chapple
Co-PI: Tracy Wharton
Co-PI: Kim Gryglewicz
$807,538.00, 9/30/2015 – 9/29/2019
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
The Seminole County System of Care (SCSOC) Expansion Evaluation
Co-PI: Kimberly Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
(with PI Kristina Childs, UCF Criminal Justice)
$305,862.00, 1/1/2016 – 9/29/2019
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (to Community Initiatives, Inc. then to UCF)
Florida Implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (FINS)
PI: Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
$1,413,000.00, 9/30/2017 – 9/29/2020
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Central Florida Pathways to Awareness, Support and Services II (C PASS II)
PI: Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D.
Co-PI: Kristina Childs Fisher
$375,000.00, 9/30/2018 – 9/29/2021
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Evaluation of the Children’s Mental Health Initiative of Orange County, FL
PI: Chris Stewart
$105,708.00, 10/1/2018 – 1/31/2019
Orange County Board of County Commissioner
Strong Foundations
PI: Julie Steen
Co-PI: Bonnie Yegidis
Co-PI: Chris Stewart
$997,690.00, 10/1/2018 – 9/29/2020
EMBRACE FAMILIES (CBC)/CHILDREN’S BUREAU
A Research Study Evaluating the Impact of PJI Academy on K-12 Teachers
PI: Kim Anderson, Ph.D.
$10,000.00, 10/5/2018 – 7/31/2019
Valencia College
Program Evaluation of DELTA – A program for Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
PI: Eunji Nam
$10,000.00, 11/1/2018 – 5/31/2019
Devereux Florida Treatment Network
The Florida REACH Translation Project: Translating an EBP for an Outpatient Clinical Setting
PI: Tracy Wharton, Ph.D.
(with Daniel Paulson, Co-PI from UCF Psychology)
$94,998.91, 2/14/2019 – 9/29/2021
Florida Department of Health: Ed & Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program
AECR: Deaf Women’s Experience Receiving Trauma Related Services After Intimate Partner Violence
PI: Reshawna Chapple
$7,500.00, 5/1/2019 – 4/30/2020
University of Central Florida, Office of Research