Fall Funding Spotlight: CFS Secures Over 8 Million in New Funding
The USF Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute's Department of Child and Family Studies is living up to its most recent ranking as third among all USF academic departments in external funding received.
Just this fall, over $8,000,000 in new and expanded funding has been awarded to department staff and faculty - a testament to the level of impact and productivity of CFS, and the many ways it contributes to USF, and to the local, state, and national community. The projects involve a variety of activities focused on improved services for children with both mental and developmental disabilities. Below are brief summaries of funding, with links, when applicable, to additional information.
Funding Summaries
- The US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has awarded $3.5 million for 5 years to establish a center to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of young children with or at risk for delays or disabilities. PI Dr. Lise Fox and co-PI Glen Dunlap are nationally recognized for the development of an early intervention model used for promoting social-emotional health and competence, known as the Pyramid Model. Building on considerable momentum and partnerships previously established, a team of professionals from five universities will continue and expand on technical assistance efforts previously funded by OSEP. Partners include the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Vanderbilt University, Georgetown University and the University of Kansas. More information
- CFS has subcontracted with Vanderbilt University to receive a 4-year $710,899 award from the US Department of Education’s Institute for Education Science. The project will conduct an experimental evaluation of a classroom-wide model for promoting young children’s social development and reducing challenging behavior within public school early childhood special education classrooms. This research effort will provide the first experimental evaluation of a multi-tiered model for prevention, promotion, and early intervention for preschool children with disabilities. Dr. Lise Fox and staff will work in partnership with Pinellas County Schools to conduct the research study.
- CFS has subcontracted with the Children’s Home Society of Florida/Pensacola branch to receive 25% of a 4-year, 1.6 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a Trauma Recovery for Youth Center. CFS will provide evaluation expertise as the center works to address child and family issues that promote stability and help prepare youth to successfully transition to independent living after foster care. Under the direction of Dr. Keren Vergon, CFS will draw from its extensive knowledge of innovative programs on youth transition. This is part of SAMHSA’s Community Treatment and Services Center grants, which are designed to promote and evaluate effective treatment systems in community and youth-oriented settings.
- The National Science Foundation has awarded $160.035 for a one-year study to learn more about Florida’s numerous mobile home communities, and how residents prepare for, and cope with natural hazards and other threats. Environmental, social, and cultural factors intersect in creating complex patterns of “community resources” and “disaster resilience,” which will be closely investigated in this study. CFS’s Beverly Ward, a national expert in community asset mapping, will collaborate with Margarethe Kusenbach from USF’s Department of Sociology.
- Drs. Albert Duchnowski and Krista Kutash worked with Hillsborough County Schools as primary authors in a $322,756.00 grant awarded to the County. Funding will support Hillsborough County Schools in efforts to increase student access to quality mental health services by developing effective linkages between the school and mental health systems. CFS will bring expertise to the training and technical assistance in three major areas: Mental Health Systems and Evidence-based Practices; Positive Behavior Supports; and Cultural and Linguistic Competence Training and Technical Assistance. CFS's Dr. Tom Massey, who helped write the evaluation segment of the grant, secured a percentage of the funding to implement and direct evaluation activities.
Three projects, consisting of nearly one third of the new funding will be directed from the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC). Housed within CFS's Division of Applied Research and Education Support, FCIC was established in October 2005 through a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service grant award from the US Department of Health & Human Services Administration on Developmental Disabilities. FCIC is committed to developing a range of supports and services in the areas of Community Supports, Early Childhood, Transition, Education, Employment, Health, Interdisciplinary Training, Public Policy, and Cultural Competence.
Summaries of FCIC new projects:
- A collaboration with researchers at the University of Florida has resulted in a $1.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a Florida Office on Disability and Health. FCIC will direct a healthcare parity project with the goal of increasing the capacity of health care providers in Florida to provide quality healthcare to persons with disabilities. Under the direction of CFS Assistant Professor Susan Havercamp, PhD, the project will provide disability training to medical students and continuing education training to medical and allied health professionals across the state.
- Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation awarded nearly $1.3 million for three-years to support the Center for Self Employment. Lewis Persons, Jr. will direct the project, which will be focused on creating awareness about self-employment, state level policy and local level implementation, direct service (training and technical assistance) for customers of Vocational Rehabilitation and sustainability of self-employment supports through capacity building within the community rehabilitation provider community.
- FCIC is providing leadership in a $156,425 award that focuses on developing an assessment instrument that will provide precise diagnostic information around the cutoff point where an individual is deemed to present “significant limitations” in adaptive behavior. The development of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS) is critical in the area of diagnosis of intellectual/developmental disabilities and in the determination of eligibility for services and benefits. Under the direction of Dr. Marc Tasse, funding for this research is provided by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
"These new projects are central to our mission of generating hope and solutions for the complex issues confronting children, families and communities," said Interim Chair Mario Hernandez. “They represent the broad array of expertise within our department and touch on many areas we strive to improve through research, training and education.”
“I would also like to thank our grant applications support staff,” added Dr. Hernandez. “We have had an extremely busy and exciting few months. Their efforts have assured compliance with external and internal grant and contract requirements, and they are a big part of the ‘success story’ behind CFS.”