Faculty and Staff Briefs: May 2026

“Florida State University’s distinguished faculty are central to the mission of the university. Faculty excellence in scholarship, research, and creative activity is critical to the quality of student learning and makes a difference in the lives of others. Throughout the year, honors and recognitions are awarded to individual faculty and staff members across campus. Faculty and Staff Briefs are produced monthly to recognize accomplishments and provide a space where honors, awards, bylines, presentations, grants, service and any other notable items can be showcased. ARCHIVE HONORS AND AWARDS Carrie Meyers , (Learning Systems Institute/FSU InSPIRE) was awarded the FLATE (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center) Manufacturing Partner-of-the-Year for Service award. Laurie Abbott , Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda Graven , Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) and Thomas Ledermann , Ph.D. (Anne’s College) were awarded the 2nd place professional poster presentation award at the 11th Annual University of Texas at San Antonio, Health Care Summit held in San Antonio, TX. Frank “Frankie” Y. Wong , Ph.D. (College of Nursing) has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2026–2027 academic year. During the Spring 2027 semester, Wong will conduct work in Ho Chi Minh City, Việt Nam, focusing on HIV research and global health challenges. His project aims to support innovative strategies for HIV prevention and long-term disease management while fostering international collaboration and cultural exchange through the Fulbright Program. Hua (Elaine) Luo , Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) received the Society for the Study of School Psychology Early Career Research Award for her project, “Bridging the Training-to-Practice Gap: A Large-Scale Mixed-Methods Study of Job Demands and Curriculum Alignment in School Psychology.” Cheyenne Egstad , (Career Center) received the Rising Star Award from the Cooperative Education & Internship Association for her outstanding contributions to the field of work-integrated learning. Kari DiDonato , (Campus Recreation) and Campus Recreation Marketing were awarded two Creative Excellence awards from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. “Lakefront Rental Office, Matilda Theme” received first place in the Social Media Campaign category and “Outdoor Trip Essentials” received first place in the Student Generated Content Campaign category. Elizabeth Cecil , Ph.D. (Department of Religion) was awarded a fellowship from the Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life to participate in the Representing Religion in Museums summer colloquium in New York City, New York. Debajyoti Sinha , Ph.D. (Department of Statistics) was elected a fellow of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis in recognition of his significant contributions in promoting Bayesian ideas and methods in society, through scientific works and other activities. The honor will be announced at the annual ISBA banquet in Nagoya, Japan. Nicole Bentze , D.O. (College of Medicine) was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Tonya Williams , M.D. (College of Medicine) was inducted into the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. GRANTS Matthew Lenard , Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) is leading a research project examining how specific math skills contribute to upward mobility. Lenard’s project is one of 29 projects in the U.S. selected to receive support through the $7 million Student Upward Mobility Initiative, which funds innovative efforts to identify the PK–12 skills that drive long-term success. Michael Ormsbee , Ph.D., and Andrew Koutnik , Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) received an $84,439 grant from Health via Modern Nutrition for their project “Targeted Assessments of Cognition in Tactical-performance with Ingested Ketones: The TACTIK Trial.” BYLINES Nicholas Mazza , Ph.D. (College of Social Work) authored the article “Gerontology as Poetry” in the Brown Journal of Medical Humanities. Shamra, Boel-Studt , Ph.D., Lauren Herod , MSW, and Darejan Dvalishvili , Ph.D. (College of Social Work, Institute for Quality Children’s Services) co-authored the article, “Advanced Certification Trainings for Child Welfare Professionals: Results from the Formative Evaluation of STARS,” published in the journal Child Protection & Practice. Gashaye Tefera , Ph.D., Shelby Varol , MSW and Ponsiano Ngondwe , MSW (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “‘I’m not just a large lady; I’m a large Black lady’: Intersectional stigma and barriers to healthcare access among Black women,” published in the journal Social Science & Medicine. Lauren Herod , MSW, MPA, Melissa Radey , Ph.D., and Lauren Stanley , Ph.D. (College of Social Work and Florida Institute for Child Welfare) co-authored the psychometric article “The Power of Belonging: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Belonging Barometer with Child Welfare Workers”, which was published in Children and Youth Services Review. Kristy Anderson , Ph.D. (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “Caregiver employment changes and care coordination in families with children with autism,” published in the journal Research in Autism. Melissa Radey , Ph.D. (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “Separated families’ use of formal and informal childcare across 12 European countries,” published in the Journal of Family Studies. Brenda Wawire , Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) co-authored “Open Educational Resources in African Languages: The Case Study of Elementary Kiswahili Hujambo textbook,” which was published in the Journal of African Language Teachers Association. Laurie Abbott , Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN and Lucinda Graven , Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) co-authored “Acceptability and Usefulness of a Dyadic Problem-Solving Partnership to Promote Rural Heart Failure Self-care” in the Western Journal of Nursing Research. Laurie Abbott , Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda Graven , Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing), and Thomas Ledermann , Ph.D. (Anne’s College), co-authored “Effects of Coping Resources on Depressive Symptoms in Rural Heart Failure Patient Caregiver Dyads: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling Analysis” in the Journal of Family Nursing. Timothy Baghurst , Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) co-authored “Experiences and barriers to career advancement among minority assistant coaches in the National Basketball Association,” published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. Boris Kantor , Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) co-authored an article entitled “Cell-specific DNA methylation in human alpha and beta cells regulates gene expression in type 2 diabetes,” published in Nature Metabolism. Xiaonan Zhang , Ph.D. (Department of Computer Science) co-authored, “From Static Constraints to Dynamic Adaptation: Sample-Level Constraint Release for Offline-to-Online Reinforcement Learning,” accepted to the 2026 International Conference on Machine Learning in Seoul, South Korea. She also had her co-authored paper “Longitudinal Behavioral Change Coaching with Multi LLM Agents: Multi-Scale Summaries and Automated Dialogue Steering,” accepted to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery’s 2026 conference on Connected Health: Applications, Systems and Engineering Technologies which will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August. David Newheiser , Ph.D. (Department of Religion) authored, “Hope as a Political Practice,” published on the blog Contending Modernities , the University of Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary effort to explore how religious and secular powers interact, as part of his, “Hope in a Secular Age,” symposium, an ongoing series of articles considering the place of hope in contemporary political, philosophical and theological contexts. Sara Green , MSW, Kayla Hicks , MPH, Sharry Anne Solis , MPH, Jonathan Morgan , and Sylvie Naar , Ph.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored and presented a poster titled “Insights from the SHARE Research Program: Approaches, Success and Lessons Learned in Recruitment and Retention of Emerging Adults with HIV in Florida” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 47 th Annual Meeting in Chicago. Mike Drury , Ph.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored “Training focused on commonalities for the common good: A transdiagnostic approach for the next generation of health service psychologists,” published in the American Psychological Association’s journal, Training and Education in Professional Psychology. Yang Hou , Ph.D., and postdoctoral scholars Dan Liu , Ph.D., and Xiaoli Zong , Ph.D. (College of Medicine) were part of the Hou-led international team of scholars that published “Age trends of internalizing and externalizing problems in children with neurofibromatosis type 1: a multicenter study,” in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Angelina Sutin , Ph.D., Martina Luchetti , Ph.D., and Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) published “Daily activities and purpose in life” in The International Journal of Wellbeing. Jacob Eisler , M.Phil., J.D., Ph.D. (College of Law) co-authored the forthcoming article, “Disparate (Algorithmic) Advantage”, in the Stanford Law Review Online: Special Collection on Technology, AI, and the Future of Civil Rights. Eisler also co-authored the article, “The Circuit Court Interim Docket.” Henry Zhuhao Wang , J.D. (College of Law) co-authored “Evidentiary Rules for Administrative Hearings.” Panagiotis Takis Tridimas , Ph.D. (College of Law) co-authored the Oxford University Press book, The Foundations of European Union Law . The book provides an in-depth yet accessible explanation of the foundational principles of constitutional and administrative law in the European Union. PRESENTATIONS Sherrell Cork , (Office of Business Services) co-presented “How Auxiliary Services are Navigating Strategic Partnerships” at the 2026 National Association of College Auxiliary Services – South Region in Charlotte, NC. Remy Jennings , Ph.D., (Wertheim College of Business) presented “Family-Interference-with-Work: Antecedents and Outcomes of Employees’ FIW Disclosures” at the Purdue University’s Working Well Conference. Shane Hockin , Ph.D., and Redgine Michel , (Academic Center for Excellence) co-presented “Developing Leadership While Sustaining Business Success” for the Florida College Learning Center Association Conference. Nicholas Mazza , Ph.D. (College of Social Work) presented, “Finding Our Way Home: The Place of Poetry in Giving Voice and Hope for the Homeless” at the 46th Annual National Association for Poetry Therapy Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Shamra, Boel-Studt , Ph.D. (College of Social Work) presented, “Calming the Storm: Trauma-Responsive Approaches for Working with High Acuity Youth in Out-of-Home Care” as the keynote presentation at the national and virtual conference on Trauma Informed Care: Taking Science to Practice hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, Department of Social Work. Sherrod, Kristyn, MSW, Patel, Dimple, Jacqueline Martin, LMSW, DSL, Kimberly Wheaton and Gray Hilliard-Koshinsky (Florida Institute for Child Welfare) (CWLA Emerging Leaders Committee) co-presented “Distributive Leadership: Dynamic and Immersive Development of Emerging Leaders” at the Child Welfare League of America 2026 National Conference. Michael Buchler , Ph.D. (College of Music) gave three juried presentations this spring, including: “Sondheim’s Fractured Pastiches” at the annual meeting of Music Theory Southeast in February (Atlanta), “When Democracy and Equity Collide: Responses that Promote Institutional Learning” at the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions annual conference at the CUNY Graduate Center (New York), and “Musical Markers of Jewishness as Moral Signifiers in Harold Rome’s I Can Get It For You Wholesale” at Sonic Markers of Jewishness On Screen and Off conference at UCLA (Los Angeles). Lucinda Graven , Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) presented “Caregiving with Heart for Heart Failure Caregivers” at the annual Big Bend Hospice and ACTS 2 Caregiving Conference. The focus of this presentation was to provide valuable information regarding heart failure caregiving needs and skills, as well as self-care tips and strategies for caregivers. Delaney W. La Rosa , EdD, MSN Ed, RN (College of Nursing) presented as part of an AI seminar series through The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, designed to equip nursing educators and academic leaders with the foundational knowledge and real-world context needed to prepare students for AI-enabled healthcare environments. The series explores both the fundamentals of AI in healthcare and current applications transforming nursing practice. Christine Andrews-Larson , Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) presented a talk titled “Linear Algebra Applications in Students’ Post Linear Algebra Coursework” at the International Linear Algebra Society conference in Blacksburg, Virginia. Cheyenne Egstad , (Career Center) co-presented the peer-reviewed conference session “Internships 101: A Toolkit on Increasing Reach of Employer Training” at the 2026 Cooperative Education & Internship Association Annual Conference. She also chaired the Technology subcommittee at the conference. Darryl Lovett , Ph.D. (Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs) co-facilitated a discussion with student affairs vice presidents and assistant vice presidents grounded in NASPA’s “Centering the Student Affairs Workforce.” The conversation focused on leadership pathways and career visibility. Alice Maxwell , (Division of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications) presented the keynote speech “Building a Strategic Communications Framework That Advances Student Success” at the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi annual conference. Cynthia Vied , Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) participated in the Quest Diagnostics FOCUS Leadership Series, where she discussed the future of diagnostics and the role of patient-centered partnerships in advancing access to genetic testing for rare diseases. David H. Ledbetter , Ph.D., FACMG, (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) presented at the 20th Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Conference demonstrating how rare pathogenic variants linked to neurodevelopmental disorders can be grouped into distinct genetic clusters associated with specific biological pathways and clinical patterns. Pradeep G. Bhide , Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) discussed the Sunshine Genetics Act on the DNA Today, highlighting how the legislation established IPRD at Florida State University College of Medicine and launched a five-year pilot program providing no-cost newborn genomic sequencing to support earlier detection and more personalized care for Florida families. Elizabeth Cecil , Ph.D. (Department of Religion) presented the invited lecture, “The Lord of the Elements & the Eaglewood Goddess: Hinduism in Monsoon Asia,” at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. Neil Van Leeuwen , Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy) presented, “Rational pressure on ideological imagining?” at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in May. He also presented, “Pretense is Representation,” on the Acting as if Perspectives on Pretending workshop at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Christopher Mulrooney , Ph.D. (College of Medicine) was invited to present “Liver Cancer Prevention in Primary Care: The Florida Healthy Liver Program™” to the Liver Cancers Council of the Global Liver Institute, Washington, DC. Diana Paquette , Ed.D. (College of Medicine) presented “Smart Space Strategies: Using Policy and Data-Driven Decisions on the development and implementation of the MED Lab Space Policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Institutional Planning-Group on Business Affairs Conference in St. Louis. Mark Chaet , M.D. (College of Medicine) participated in Thayer Leadership’s Battle-Tested Open Enrollment leadership training program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Amy Hall , Ph.D., and Karen MacDonell , Ph.D. co-presented a poster titled “Motivational and psychological predictors of asthma medication adherence in Black emerging adults” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 47 th Annual Meeting in Chicago. George Rust , M.D. (College of Medicine) recently provided expert insight into developments surrounding the hantavirus and the importance of strong public health systems during disease outbreak response efforts in an interview aired live on FOX 35 in Orlando. Nadia Banteka , S.J.D, (College of Law) participated in the 2026 Carolina Law Scholarship Roundtable on Immigration, Policing, and Detention at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Banteka presented her latest paper, “Police-Created Suspicion” (with Erika Nyborg-Burch ). The roundtable brought together an outstanding group of scholars, to support cutting-edge legal research and scholarship. Brian Slocum , J.D., M.A, Ph.D. (College of Law) was invited to the Georgetown Law Center as a moderator and speaker. The event focused on a forthcoming Oxford University Press book, Corpus Linguistics and the Interpretation of Statutes over Time. Jake Linford , J.D., (College of Law), hosted a two-day Florida Intellectual Property & Technology Law Workshop at the College of Law which featured scholarship from accredited professors and Linford’s latest scholarship, “Education, Wealth, and WEIRD Trademark Surveys” (with Justin Sevier ). Brian Slocum , J.D., M.A, Ph.D. (College of Law) presented chapters from his co-authored forthcoming Yale University Press book, Twenty-First Century Textualism, at Yale Law School during a Theories of Statutory Interpretation Seminar. SERVICE Allison Justice , MMS, PA-C, (College of Medicine) is president-elect of the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants. Rima Nathan , J.D. (College of Law) hosted an Estate Planning Clinic for Legal Services of North Florida through the Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic with the Legal Services of North Florida Tallahassee Pro Bono team to provide their services to the greater community. NOTABLE Iain Quinn , Ph.D. (College of Music) was elected to fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales. Bernard McDonald (College of Music) has drawn numerous plaudits from veteran critics following his début with Indianapolis Opera at The Tobias Theater at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN. Carrie Meyers and Jim Reynolds (Learning Systems Institute/FSU InSPIRE) organized and implemented the “America 250 Challenge in AI Literacy” program challenging teachers to co-design a curriculum using artificial intelligence. The goal was to create a lesson that celebrates US history, culture, and innovation. Rabieh Razzouk (Learning Systems Institute) awarded the first-ever FCR-STEM Innovating Educator of the Year award to Holley-Navarre fifth grade teacher Anna Prindle. Vilma Fuentes , Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) led the second Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program between the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) and FSU. In the Spring of 2026, 24 students from both universities participated in this 10-week asynchrounous virtual exchange program as part of a U.S. Department of State grant to enhance entrepreneurship education in Armenia. Delaney W. La Rosa, EdD, MSN Ed, RN (College of Nursing) has been appointed to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Emerging Technologies in Nursing Task Force. The national task force brings together nursing leaders and innovators to explore the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on nursing education and practice to help shape recommendations and strategies to prepare the future nursing workforce for a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Frederick Abbott , J.D. (College of Law) participated as a panel judge in Beijing, China for the East Asia and Oceania Regional Round of the 24th Edition of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition in International Trade Law. Please send items for Faculty and Staff Briefs to tfordyce@fsu.edu . We publish monthly. The post Faculty and Staff Briefs: May 2026 appeared first on Florida State University News .

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