October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and about one in four people in the United States has some type of disability according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As many as 80% of disabled individuals have invisible disabilities that can include ADHD, learning disabilities, psychological conditions or mental health concerns.

These statistics also apply across college campuses, where students are preparing to enter the workforce amid learning environments where accessibility has become a more routine aspect of the classroom.

“Students arriving at college campuses now have grown up with the idea of inclusion,” said Deborah McCarthy, director of USF’s Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS). “They’re used to the reality that someone in a wheelchair was in their kindergarten class, or that someone with autism was in their math class. They view accessibility as a communal responsibility and are eager to be proactive. This new viewpoint creates an exciting opportunity.”

And yet, many students with disabilities still do not seek help for various reasons, including stigma. That represents a complex challenge for student accessibility leaders like McCarthy.

Below are some ways USF works to support student accessibility, reduce stigma, raise awareness of available resources and empower individuals with disabilities to share their experiences and concerns.

Student Accessibility Services

McCarthy’s office serves approximately 3,100 students across the three USF campuses—around five times the number it served in 2009—and provides them with services and support from enrollment through graduation.

SAS works with faculty to accommodate students through Universal Design for Learning, a framework meant to ensure that course materials and activities are accessible and inclusive for all students, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or preferred learning styles.

This can include providing accessible textbooks, Braille, American Sign Language interpreters, extended time testing, note-taking technologies and transcription services.

When the COVID-19 pandemic sent colleges online in 2020, the shift to platforms like Microsoft Teams to connect faculty, staff and students brought unexpected benefits, such as improved captioning for students with hearing impairments.

McCarthy said the pandemic sped up efforts at USF and across the nation to increase the use of technology that supports accessibility and helped people think about what an in-person university means and what accommodations still need to be made.

SAS also serves as a resource for the broader campus community with a goal of promoting an environment where accessibility and Universal Design are central to the USF experience.

“Disability advocate Alice Wong points out that accessibility is really about hospitality,” McCarthy said. “You don’t invite someone into your home for dinner if you’re not sure they can get into your house. It’s not just ramps and curb cuts. It’s about what it means to be hospitable.”

SAS encourages all students, faculty and staff to participate in AccessiBull, a series of disability awareness events to help educate the USF community and reduce stigma. The office also annually administers the Johnson Scholarship for Students with Disabilities to provide financial support.

Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Formed in 2021, the USF Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility is chaired by McCarthy and advises President Rhea Law on matters pertaining to ability, accessibility and disability for faculty, staff and students.

The advisory committee also evaluates and monitors the university environment for related problems and issues, and it’s a way for multiple areas of USF to come together to embrace accessibility.

Since its inception, the committee has partnered with USF’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning to enhance accessibility and training for online courses and faculty trainings.

The committee co-sponsored USF’s second annual production of “This is My Brave,” a student performance about mental health and disability, and is focusing on updates to USF’s Americans with Disabilities Act policies.

Employment Support

SAS and partners like USF’s Center for Career & Professional Development offer a variety of resources to assist students with employment opportunities.

Information about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Recruitment Program is available through the SAS website. The program, managed by the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense, connects employers with postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities. The apply date is Oct. 12.

The USF Center for Career & Professional Development offers articles and videos sharing tips and advice for students with disabilities who are entering the workforce, as well as resources such as career coaching and, on USF’s Tampa campus, 15-minute drop-in visits for students to answer basic career-related questions.

Recent campus career fairs offered a half-hour exclusive time slot with access limited to students needing accommodation so they could navigate the fair without crowds and with minimal sensory overload.

Student Government Accessibility Task Force

Last year, USF students Simone Till and Kevin Moore urged student government leaders to create a Campus Accessibility Task Force. Their intent was to enhance the disability culture at USF by raising awareness and empowering students.

Till and Moore spearheaded the creation of a survey last fall asking students to share their experiences and concerns and received 182 responses. The findings will help student government look for ways to guide more students toward resources available through SAS and advocate for increased support for disabled individuals.

Till arrived at USF three years ago with an acute understanding of the challenges facing students with disabilities. She experienced hearing loss during her childhood that eventually led to her use of hearing aids.

Because of her long hair, Till’s hearing aids aren’t readily visible. Her sister, however, has cerebral palsy, causing speech and mobility challenges that make her disability more apparent.

“Growing up helped me understand that when you approach disabilities, it’s really a huge umbrella,” Till said. “You have to think about it from a very holistic standpoint.”

Jillian Heilman, the task force’s faculty advisor at the time, credited Till, Moore and other student government leaders for responding to what they saw and heard from peers and pushing to make the task force a reality.

“Students started to reach out to us,” said Heilman, an adjunct professor in the USF Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences Program who researches disability impact, advocacy and awareness. “It was a grassroots effort that solidified students’ need to be heard.”

Till and Moore graduated in May, and one of the students taking over leadership of the task force is Chrissy Zimmer, a College of Public Health graduate student who has utilized accessibility services because of a spinal condition.

Zimmer calls Heilman “a remarkable advocate,” and says McCarthy’s team at SAS has made “phenomenal improvements to its website,” including the addition of webinars and other resources.

She said the task force is planning another survey this fall. There are also plans to create a peer-to-peer mentoring platform and promote a greater student body presence at events focused on access and raising awareness.

“The task force would love to get students more involved and make them aware of services available to them, and to help able-bodied students learn how they can become allies,” Zimmer said. “These are small ways that we can ignite change.”

Story reposted from USF Newsroom

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According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 46 percent of U.S. youth—or 34 million children—have had at least one adverse childhood experience by age 18, and more than 20 percent have had two or more. 

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events such as the death or incarceration of a parent, child abuse, divorce, witnessing or being a victim of violence—in their own home or in the community—bullying, child neglect or living with someone who has been suicidal or had a drug or alcohol problem. 

School nurses, who have regular access to children and their health concerns, can be a vulnerable child’s first line of defense. To help train school nurses in recognizing and responding to ACEs, the Hillsborough Public School System recently invited experts from the USF College of Public Health (COPH) and USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (Criminology) to its Summer Institute for School Nurses. The program also focused on trauma-informed care (TIC). 

COPH faculty members who presented at the event included Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, an alum and assistant professor who also directs the college’s Harrell Center on the Study of Family Violence, and Dr. Shelly Wagers, a USF associate professor of criminology (also affiliated with the Harrell Center). This event was organized in partnership with COPH’s Public Health Innovation and Research (PHIRE) and Lifelong Learning Academy, along with  USF Health’s Area Health Education Center and Hillsborough County Public Schools.  

“ACEs can exert a negative impact on school performance and learning,” notes Salinas-Miranda. “Many traumatized children experience physical and emotional distress that often are mistaken for other things, such as behavioral issues or inattentiveness. It also results in higher referral rates to specialized services in and outside the school. Trauma-related symptoms and their impact on the students’ lives also result in increased absenteeism. For all these reasons, it’s very important to have school personnel who can recognize ACEs and know how to implement TIC.”

Salinas-Miranda also pointed out that it’s important to prevent and address ACEs to improve population health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), five of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. are associated with ACEs, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes and suicide. Individuals with four or more ACEs have about 30 times greater odds of attempting suicide, compared with those with no ACEs.

As part of the training, the nurses—400 in all—were immersed in what’s called problem-based learning (PBL) and simulation. They examined a case of child abuse (delivered to their phones via a web-based app) that’s likely to be seen in schools. The free app was developed with the help of one of the Harrell Center’s community partners, Humanistic Technologies, Inc. The nurses then worked through a series of questions (for example, what are the facts, what are the core trauma concepts, what are next steps) to help solve the problem.

“By equipping school nurses with knowledge and practical tools they can use to recognize childhood traumatic stress and its consequences on school health, we hope an improved response can be implemented in the school setting and reach families and children with needed referrals or services,” Salinas-Miranda commented. “Thus, we believe this training provided not only knowledge and skills, but also a form of advocacy to improve our community response to child traumatic stress.”

What are next steps? Salinas-Miranda and colleagues urge students and community partners to advocate for ACE prevention. They also hope to offer more training on topics related to family violence to health and social service professionals. These programs will be offered through the COPH’s Lifelong Learning Academy. In addition, the group also plans to offer graduate training on several other child advocacy study topics for a brand-new interdisciplinary graduate certificate in child advocacy studies.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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USF College of Public Health (COPH) doctoral candidate Marlene Joannie Bewa was recently recognized for her many accomplishments and skills in the second-annual women’s edition of Tampa Magazines “Women to Watch 2022.”

Bewa is a medical doctor and winner of both a USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award and Golden Bull Award. She also is a United Nations Young Leader, among many other accomplishments.

Tampa Magazines feature article “Charging Forward” concentrated on USF alumnae and highlighted such prestigious Bulls as USF President Rhea Law, Melissa Seixas, state president of Duke Energy and Elizabeth Krystyn, co-founder of Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners & Baldwin Risk Partners.

“It’s a great honor to be included in this list alongside other women leaders such as Rhea Law and other prominent women in the Tampa Bay region,” Bewa said. “It’s a sign that our university and city value excellence, service, diversity, equity and inclusion, and they are keen to ensure gender equality including in academia and leadership roles.”

Bewa said she was encouraged to participate in the article by USF Foundation’s India Witte, who is also the former executive director of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy (WLP). 

“I am a WLP-endowed scholar, and I was actively involved in WLP’s Women Who Ignite Student Engagement (WISE) Advisory Council,” Bewa noted. “The magazine’s team were following me and were familiar with my research and global engagement work.”

Not one to rest on her (many!) laurels, Bewa is currently hard at work defending her PhD proposal, which focuses on understanding adolescents’ experiences and factors affecting access and utilization of modern contraception methods in Benin Republic (West Africa), where she is from.

She’s being supervised in her research by the COPH’s Drs. Claudia Parvanta, Russell Kirby, Cheryl Vamos and UC Berkeley’s Dr. Ndola Prata. She’s supported by the Schlumberger Foundation, a nonprofit that encourages science and technology education.

Bewa was also selected to receive an emerging scholar award by the Society of Family Planning to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to contraception nationwide in the United States, research she is conducting with the COPH’s Harrell Center Director Abraham Salinas-Miranda. 

And as if that hasn’t been enough, Bewa has also co-authored a paper selected as a top-cited article of 2020-2021. The article was published by Wiley in the American Journal of Community Psychology and is titled “Youth participatory approaches and health equity: conceptualization and integrative review.”

“I would like to give a special shout-out to the Tampa Magazines team, USF Alumni Association, WLP and the USF Foundation for their endless commitment to uplift women,” Bewa said.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Run.

Walk.

Skip.

Jog.

Hike.

Unite with the USF College of Public Health (COPH) community and do your virtual 5k your way!

The COPH is hosting its an annual virtual 5K, “Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay,” benefiting the USF Harrell Center. The event takes place from March 26-27, 2022 and is sponsored by the Academic Alliance in Dermatology. One hundred percent of proceeds benefit community-academic projects addressing family violence.

The Harrell Center serves as an intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence across the life span. To address this mission, the center connects the technical assistance needs of community organizations with USF students and faculty who have the skills to address these needs.

However, one challenge the center faces is trying to meet the needs of the community through academic solutions, such as research, evaluation, training and advocacy, without an allocated budget.

“We rely on student volunteers and the faculty’s orientation toward community engagement,” Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center, said. “This virtual 5k can help us with that support, which can go a long way.”

Salinas-Miranda and his team say the annual event gathers meaningful support for community-based projects as well as creates awareness about the Harrell Center’s mission. Most importantly, it will shine a light on the role that academia can play in addressing family violence through academic-community partnerships. 

“There is still time to register for the virtual 5k event. One hundred percent of the funds will be used to support community outreach efforts for community-based projects co-led by students, community organizations and faculty,” Salinas said. “This is a crucial collaboration to advance our mission of serving as intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence over the life span in our communities.”

Register here.

Have questions about the virtual 5K? Contact, Dr. Abraham Salinas Miranda.

Contact Kara Steiner at karasteiner@usf.edu for sponsorship information.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The USF College of Public Health Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence is working in collaboration with the Spring of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County Domestic Violence Task Force to learn more about the experiences of Black and Afro-Latina women survivors of domestic violence in Hillsborough County, Fla.

The project, called the “Listening Sessions Project,” aims to understand how Black and Afro-Latina women perceive and experience various aspects of the justice system after experiencing domestic violence, according to Dr. Abraham Salinas Miranda, USF COPH assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center.

“Is the domestic violence services experience the same for Black women or Afro-Latinas compared to White women or is it different? By services, we mean criminal justice services and other victim assistance services. We need to investigate any differential treatment or responses with the aim of improving racial equity,” Salinas Miranda said.

The project is conducted in two parts, according to Kacy Amory, project coordinator and USF PhD criminology student who is also serving as a graduate research assistant in the Harrell Center.

The first part consists of an initial survey with questions about their experiences which leads into structured virtual interviews gauging their experiences and recommendations.

Eligible participants must identify as a Black or Afro-Latina woman who has experienced domestic violence in the last 24 months and is a resident of Hillsborough County with access to e-mail and internet.

All participant information will remain confidential, but will come with big impact, according to Amory.

“By sharing their experiences, they’re able to have a direct impact. They are giving their experiences in a way in which they can be directed into recommendations for changes in the system that can also be beneficial for future women who are going through the same circumstances that they did,” Amory said.

“We know that the domestic violence is part of a spectrum of interpersonal violence. When you find domestic violence, you find child maltreatment and other forms of violence. But, underlying the violence are the social determinants of health,” Salinas Miranda said. “There are studies that suggest that providers perceive African-American women in a different way. For instance, they may be less likely to be addressed with a trauma-informed lens and that is systemic racism and discrimination.”

Salinas Miranda also says that “in our county, we are very fortunate that service providers have identified advancing racial equity in domestic violence services as a key goal for our system of care.”

The Spring of Tampa Bay, a certified domestic violence center for Hillsborough County providing services such as a hotline, emergency housing, case management, prevention programs, and legal advocacy is helping to inform women of the option to take part in this project.

According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement, there were 7,083 domestic violence offenses in Hillsborough County in 2020.  

Jen Shtab, coordinated community response trainer for the Spring of Tampa Bay, says the Listening Sessions Project will help get a better understanding of what is happening more locally.

Shtab said she hopes this project exemplifies a commitment toward making changes at the systems level so that all entities can be more responsive to survivors of domestic violence in Hillsborough County.

“The hope is that recommendations will come out of it and that we can begin implementing those recommendations to make changes so that we have a more equitable criminal justice response and more accessible services for women of color who are survivors of domestic violence,” she said.  

To learn more about the Listening Sessions Project, visit the Harrell Center website.

Related media:

Lifeline | The Spring of Tampa Bay [Video]

Lifeline | Victim Assistance and Victim Compensation [Video]

LifeLine | Understanding Injunction for Protection [Video]

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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USF College of Public Health’s Dr. Martha Coulter recently established a legacy gift with USF Health’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations to support the USF Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence. These planned gifts are deferred commitments made through one’s estate to ensure that their philanthropic intentions carry on their legacy, long after their lifetime.

The Harrell Center was originally created through a private endowment by James and Jennifer Harrell. Its mission is to develop and integrate knowledge with best practices to strengthen community responses to family violence. It’s designed to conduct and translate research into usable information for practitioners, to provide education and training, and to serve as a resource and advocacy center for the public and professionals.

Coulter, Professor Emerita at the COPH and founding director of the Harrell Center, dedicated her career to improving the lives of families and children. With this gift, she hopes that the Harrell’s mission and research can continue to do more to help victims of family violence and the systemic problems associated with it.

“Next year will be 25 years since I was given the grant funding for the Harrell Center by the Harrell family” Coulter said, “I was the director for 22 of those years right up until I retired. It’s very close to my heart and I feel very strongly that family violence is an issue that is critical to understand and prevent.  It is an underlying problem to a great number of health and mental health issues, as well as a chronic community issue. The pandemic has brought family violence to the forefront of our attention as we recognize the increases in many forms of family violence due to isolation and stress.”

Some family violence issues that Coulter hopes gets more support are in preventive measures, therapeutic interventions and survivor resources once they are out of a violent situation. She also wants more multidisciplinary research that delves into understanding the root causes of family violence.

“There is so much more that the center could conduct if it had more money. In addition to research, they could do more training, consultation and support for community agencies and expand into other areas which is what I’m hoping to do with this gift. I want to help, but to also encourage others to donate as well. I think this is the way we’ll be able to move the center into accomplishing all of its goals,” Coulter said. “While the center has been successful in acquiring research grants and contracts over the years, these are for very specific research projects and there is much need for additional, more flexible funding. For example, helping community agencies to evaluate their programs is a frequent request.”

Coulter also commented on the great current leadership of the Harrell Center, the support of its advisory board members and the ongoing support from the USF COPH and its community which have all helped the center really blossom into what it is today.

“Dr. Coulter made a generous planned gift to support the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence, for both operating needs and endowment, so that the important work of the Center goes on in perpetuity,” said Kara Steiner, senior director of development and alumni engagement for USF Health Office of Development and Alumni Relations. “As the former director, and a current board member, she understands more than anyone how important funding is to maintain the programs and community partnerships that exist. 

To learn more about making an estate commitment to the College of Public Health, contact Kara Steiner at 813-458-9149 or karasteiner@usf.edu. 

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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USF Health hosted its virtual 5K, “Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay,” from April 17-18. With 107 registrants, the effort raised more than $7,200 that will go to directly support the The USF College of Public Health (COPH) Harrell Center’s priorities.

The 5K was endorsed by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and news of the event was distributed through multiple social media channels. Participating leaders included former USF President Betty Castor, former Florida House representative Samuel P. Bell, III, COPH board members, faculty and community organization leaders such as Mindy Murphy from the Spring of Tampa Bay. The Harrell Center also thanked Lennar Homes and many of their other donors for contributing to the event’s success.

The Harrell Center serves as an intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence across the life span. To address this mission, the center connects the technical assistance needs of community organizations with USF students and faculty who have the skills to manage these needs.

However, one challenge the center faces is trying to meet the needs of the community through academic solutions, such as research, evaluation, training and advocacy, without an allocated budget.

“We rely on student volunteers and the faculty’s orientation toward community engagement,” Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center, said. “All the funds raised from the 5K are being utilized for community-based projects that don’t have a funding stream through USF. Our students can learn while working with projects that advance evidence-based practices. The community can address challenges that they have not been able to address.” 

Salinas-Miranda said that one of the things he liked most about the event was the sense of connection with family, friends and the community who were all supporting their cause.

“I think it’s really amazing that despite this being our first 5K and the COVID-19 pandemic causing the race to be virtual, we had over 100 participants. The community response to the event was really inspiring,” Salinas-Miranda said. “We would like to thank everyone who participated and donated! We will make sure to put every penny to good use to address family violence in our community.”

Click here to see more photos from the event.

Related media:
LifeLine video playlist on YouTube

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

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Alumna Melissa Mercado was born, raised and initially trained (BS, MSc, MA) in Puerto Rico. She moved away to pursue her PhD at the USF College of Public Health. She currently lives in Atlanta.

Mercado started her undergraduate training as a pre-med student at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Mayaguez Campus.

“Soon—that very first semester—I realized that I enjoyed research, and I decided to change to a biology major,” Mercado said. “About two years later, I discovered Healthy People, the nation’s public health goals for the next decade. Public health … what is that? I wondered. This document was my first encounter with the field. I wanted to learn more, so I started looking in ‘my own backyard’ (aka UPR). I found out that UPR had a school of public health and checked out its different graduate programs. I fell in love with public health and the rest is history!”

When researching schools of public health for her doctoral degree, Mercado knew that she wanted to continue her research in violence prevention. 

“The USF COPH hit the mark by having the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence.  Fortunately, my employer at the time asked me to attend a site visit in central Florida. It worked out perfectly!” she said. “I changed my flight schedule to arrive a day earlier, emailed several COPH professors to schedule appointments to learn more about their work, rented a car and met with them on my day off from work.”

She said that seeing how responsive and willing the professors were to meet with her even before applying to the program, how open they were to pursuing youth violence research and how close Tampa is to Puerto Rico (just a three-hour flight) were decisive factors in deciding to join the COPH.

While pursuing her PhD at the COPH, Mercado was a founding member of the USF COPH Maternal and Child Health Student Organization and helped establish the Community and Family Health Brown Bag Lunches. She also served as a graduate and professional student council liaison for the USF Presidential Ethics & Integrity Council, was a member of Eta Sigma Gamma and participated in USF’s Christian Medical and Dental Association activities.

Mercado stated that becoming a doctor is her proudest achievement during her time at the COPH.

“I don’t say this lightly. I am the first one in my family to pursue a graduate degree and currently the only one to have completed a doctorate. Beyond being proud of having completed this very rigorous doctoral program, I’m proud of having been able to give back to Puerto Rico as part of it, by conducting most of my pre-dissertation and dissertation research work there,” she said. “Beyond the PhD credentials, I’m humbled and proud of the day-to-day opportunities that the COPH allowed me to experience, which helped me grow into becoming a doctor.”

Currently Mercado is a behavioral scientist for the Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

She serves as her division’s subject matter expert on children’s bullying and as a co-lead for CDC’s Youth Violence Prevention Centers Network. She is also the CDC’s representative to the federal interagency StopBullying.gov editorial board and serves as a CDC spokesperson for English and Spanish media. Mercado was elected chair of the Collaborations Committee within the CDC-wide Latino/Hispanic Health Work Group and leads the development of an innovative research portfolio on gaming and online communities for violence prevention.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside extraordinary violence prevention researchers whom I used to read about and cite during my graduate studies,” Mercado said. “I’m blessed to have been able to continue my work in youth violence prevention beyond my graduate training. The rigor of the science conducted at our division is also something that attracted me greatly.”

In the future, Mercado hopes to continue expanding her portfolio of research on youth violence prevention, especially as it pertains to online environments.

“I love academia and hope to be able to return to the classroom to help prepare the next generation of public health researchers and practitioners,” she said. “Working with entertainment media content developers and storytellers, as well as with faith-based organizations, is something dear to my heart. I aspire to be able to pursue [these things] in the near future.”

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

A teacher and a doctor, but a doctor in medicine. Well, I did become a doctor, have taught and remained in the health sciences.

Where would we find you on the weekend?

At home with my husband, son and dog.

What is the last book you read?

I’m currently reading “Know What You’re FOR: A Growth Strategy for Work, An Even Better Strategy for Life” by Jeff Henderson.

What superpower would you like to have?

Teletransportation, so that I could go visit my family in Puerto Rico anytime and as much as I wanted to.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

It’s a three-way tie between Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast (1991), 1968’s Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, and the 1998 version of Les Misérables (Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman).

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post Dr. Melissa Mercado honored with USF COPH Outstanding Alumni Award appeared first on College of Public Health News.

The USF College of Public Health (COPH) hosts a virtual 5K, “Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay,” benefiting the USF Harrell Center. The event takes place from April 17-18, 2021 and is sponsored by Lennar Homes. Proceeds benefit community-academic projects addressing family violence.

The Harrell Center serves as an intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence across the life span. To address this mission, the center connects the technical assistance needs of community organizations with USF students and faculty who have the skills to address these needs.

However, one challenge the center faces is trying to meet the needs of the community through academic solutions, such as research, evaluation, training and advocacy, without an allocated budget.

“We rely on student volunteers and the faculty’s orientation toward community engagement,” Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center, said. “This virtual 5k can help us with that support, which can go a long way.”

Salinas-Miranda and his team believe this event will gather meaningful support for community-based projects as well as create awareness about the Harrell Center’s mission. Most importantly, it will shine a light on the role that academia can play in addressing family violence through academic-community partnerships. 

“It’s a pivotal point toward advancing the relationships with community organizations through a public health approach to violence prevention. All the funds will be utilized for community-based projects that don’t have a funding stream through USF,” Salinas-Miranda said. “Our students can learn while working with projects that advance evidence-based practices. The community can address challenges that they have not been able to address.” 

Register here.

Have questions about the virtual 5K? Contact, Dr. Abraham Salinas Miranda.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health

The post Run family violence out of Tampa Bay with the COPH appeared first on College of Public Health News.