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Marriage & Family Therapy  News


Congratulations Class of 2022

25/05/22

aerial photo of 2022 Falk College convocation ceremony

Along with Dean Murphy, the entire Falk College community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners and friends, congratulates the Class of 2022! Falk College’s 484 degree candidates represent seven academic departments and schools, including:

325 undergraduates;
131 masters candidates;
24 students earning certificates of advanced study, and;
4 Ph.D. students.

Through the month of May, departments across Falk College honored student achievements and celebrated the graduating Class of 2022, which are detailed on individual department websites.

Falk College Convocation was held Saturday, May 14 at Manley Field House. Falk College Convocation, other college convocations, and the May 15 Syracuse University Commencement ceremony, were recorded and are available to view on the Syracuse University commencement website and is also included below.

Falk College Convocation | Saturday, May 14 | 4:30 p.m. ET

Falk College Convocation Photos


Class of 2022 honored with Marriage and Family Therapy Awards

25/04/22

The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in Falk College is pleased to recognize the outstanding work of its graduate students for excellence:

MFT Social Justice Award: Jordan Gaines

The MFT Social Justice Award is given to a student who represents the department’s commitment to social justice and is awarded to a graduating MFT MA student.

MFT Department Student Marshal: Logan Thompson

Senior Class Marshals have excelled during their time on campus and exemplify the spirit of the senior class. The selection committee assesses the nominees on scholarship, academic honors, student organization involvement, and campus/community service.


Falk students provide essential therapy services while gaining clinical practice

14/02/22
Jennifer Coppola speaks to children at a table
MFT students like Jennifer Coppola G’19 (center) undergo 500 supervised clinical hours of direct client contact. This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic and does not reflect current Syracuse University public health guidelines.

Marriage and family therapy is one of the fastest-growing mental health disciplines. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 16 percent growth in employment of marriage and family therapists from 2020 to 2030, as compared to the projected 8 percent average growth for all occupations. These therapists evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders and other health and behavioral problems and address a wide array of relationship issues within the context of the family system.

In Falk College, marriage and family therapy students receive extensive clinical training while practicing under the close supervision of faculty and staff who are licensed marriage and family therapists in the field and either American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisors or Approved Supervisor Candidates.

Graduate students must provide 500 direct client hours of therapy. For every 5 hours of client contact, students must receive 1 hour of supervision. Supervision must include review of video recordings or direct observation of therapy sessions.

A portion of the required hours are completed at internship sites, while the remaining hours are completed at the Couple and Family Therapy Center located just off campus in Peck Hall. Operated by the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, the Center offers individual, couple, family, and group therapy to the larger Central New York community, serving clients of all ages, identities, and demographics.

Peck Hall Exterior
Peck Hall, where the Couple and Family Therapy Center is housed.

“The Couple and Family Therapy Center has played a significant role in my growth and development as a training therapist,” says Abigail Seubert, a graduate student in marriage and family therapy. “Through my work with clients along with the support from our on-site supervisors I have learned how to navigate complex family systems, remain neutral in couple’s conflicts, engage children in teletherapy, and care for myself following challenging sessions. The Couple and Family Therapy Center has laid the foundation that I will continue to build from as a new therapist throughout my career.”

In 2021, 19 therapists provided 5,256 therapy sessions to 341 individuals.

“The Center remained open throughout the pandemic and was able to offer telehealth services through HIPAA compliant Zoom,” says Tracey Reichert Schimpff, director of clinical services. “Remote services enabled the Center to serve clients from an even wider geographical area and reach those who would not have been able to travel to Syracuse for therapy.”

All services are free for all clients, which allows the Center to serve those who may not otherwise be able to afford therapy. To further reach underserved populations in Syracuse, the Center has built community partnerships with organizations such as PEACE, Inc. Head Start and Syracuse Community Connections. The clinic also specializes in working with transgender and gender expansive individuals and their families.


Dean’s Winter Welcome

25/01/22

Dear Falk Students,

Welcome back to Syracuse University! We hope you enjoyed your winter break and had the opportunity to relax and spend time with friends and family. We’re excited for all that lies ahead for you in Spring 2022. With that in mind, here are some important reminders as we start the new semester:

Public Health and University Communications:

Public health remains a critical priority for life on campus and in our wider Syracuse community. We fully expect all Falk College students to follow University public health guidelines and local public health mandates. By doing our part, we can keep each other safe and healthy. Please visit the Stay Safe website, the official source of public health information for Syracuse University, for guidance and updates.

Remember to check your Syracuse University email daily, as it is the primary communication method at the University. Your professors and University offices will contact you with important information using your Syracuse University email address (ending in “@syr.edu”), not your personal email address.

Student Support Services:

Falk Student Services counselors are here to provide you with private academic advising and help you meet your requirements and goals. In addition, they are your resource for private consultation related to student social and emotional concerns. If you have any concerns throughout your academic career, please contact Student Services or visit Suite 330 Barclay Hall in the Falk Complex.

Falk Career Services advisors, also located in Suite 330 Barclay Hall, can help you prepare for life after college through career exploration, internship and job searching, professional networking, and more. You can also search for opportunities through Handshake, the University’s job search and professional events portal.

In addition, you can connect to spiritual life on campus at Hendricks Chapel, and health and counseling services in the Barnes Center at the Arch.

Student Lounges, Computer Labs, and Cafés:

The Student Lounge, located in Falk 216, is available to you any time the Falk Complex is open. The lounge has a microwave, refrigerator, and vending machines for student use. Just down the hall is Falk 229. This quiet student lounge has both Windows and Mac computers that are available to students any time the Falk Complex is open.

Falk 113, 400, and 407 are Windows computer labs that are also used as teaching classrooms. They are available to students any time class is not in session. You may check the schedule of availability using the Orange Events website. You may also use the quick-print stations in Falk 216 and 229 for printing and email. These stations log out automatically after 15 minutes of use.

The Falk Café on 2 is expected to open Feb. 2 on a limited basis. Check the Food Services website for other campus cafés and operating hours, which are subject to change.

Ways to Get Involved:

Get to know many of the hundreds of Syracuse University student organizations at the Winter Student Involvement Fair 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26, 2022, in Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center.

You can also discover activities and events on campus by visiting the Syracuse University Calendar. Please note that events are subject to change according to public health guidelines. You can find the most up-to-date event information on the University Calendar. Once again, visit the Stay Safe website regularly for public health information and watch your University email for important announcements.

There are many other resources available to you at Syracuse University beyond these important highlights. Please visit the For Students page to review a more comprehensive listing of student resources to enhance your experience at Syracuse.

Thank you for being part of the wider Syracuse University community and our Falk College family. On behalf of the Falk faculty and staff, I wish you the best for Spring 2022.

Go Orange!

Diane Lyden Murphy, M.A., M.S.W., Ph.D.

Dean

Falk College


October 28 event features alumni in disability advocacy

22/10/21

Falk College Career Services will host the “Falk College Alumni Speaker Series: Improving Access for People with Disabilities” on October 28, 2021, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Grant Auditorium, followed by a networking reception with refreshments from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The panel discussion will focus on current issues surrounding accessibility in a range of environments, and will be of particular interest to students seeking internships or careers in healthcare, mental health, education, policy and advocacy, and sport and recreation.

This is the fourth event in a series of Falk College alumni panels, which bring alumni back to campus to discuss current industry trends of interest to Falk students and share valuable career experiences and insights. Previous alumni panels have focused on topics such as community health and wellness; promoting exercise and nutrition as natural approaches to health, and; sport, health and social activism.

“For students, this is an exceptional opportunity to learn more about how they can be an advocate in whatever field they pursue,” says David Sly, director of Falk College Career Services. “In addition to learning about the specific careers of our panelists, students, faculty, and staff can leave this event with ideas for better serving people with a range of disabilities in any setting.”

The “Improving Access for People with Disabilities” panel will include four Falk College alumni:

Scott Ebner Portrait
Scott Ebner, MSW ’97
Scott Ebner is the Executive Director at CIRCARE, a local agency that supports people with behavioral health disabilities, including family and employment support. He has also worked with Provisions Bakery in Armory Square, a work transition site for people with mental illness.
Jeremy French-LawyerJeremy French-Lawyer, BS Public Health ’14
Jeremy French-Lawyer is the Assistant Director of Evaluation, Assessment and Research at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Jeremy also has previous experience as a Disability Integration Fellow with SUNY Upstate, integrating disability-relevant information into medical school and continuing medical education curriculum. Other previous roles include working with children and at-risk parents in education and healthcare settings. Jeremy holds a master of public health (MPH) degree jointly awarded from Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Ocesa KeatonOcesa Keaton, MSW ’15
Ocesa Keaton is the Central New York Regional Director for New York Civil Liberties Union and has previously served as the ADA Coordinator for the City of Syracuse. Ocesa has extensive experience in youth and advocacy programs, with a focus on at-risk pregnant and parenting teens, youth violence prevention, and poverty.
Eileen May-West PortraitEileen May-West, BS Sport Management ’10
Eileen May-West is the Program Director at Wasatch Adaptive Sports and leads outdoor adaptive recreation operations for over 500 individuals with disabilities each year. Eileen holds a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of New Hampshire.
For Syracuse University students, registration is appreciated, though not required, through Handshake. For faculty, staff and community attendees, please RSVP to falkcareers@syr.edu. CART and ASL services will be provided. To request other accommodations, please contact Falk Career Services at falkcareers@syr.edu or 315.443.3144. For event information, visit the event page.


Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff

25/08/21

Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to welcome four new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year: Stephen Bonomo, Director of Information Technology; Deborah Golia, Director of Admissions; Kailyn Jennings, Sport Management Internship Placement Coordinator; Danielle Jones, Social Work Internship Placement Coordinator; Donna Sparkes, Budget Associate, and; Emily Williams, Human Development and Family Science Internship Placement Coordinator.

In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of six new faculty members, Lastenia-Francis, Catherine García, Esteli JimenezKevin McNeill, Joey Merrin, and Fei Pei.

Lastenia Francis portrait

Lastenia Francis

Assistant Teaching Professor (Online), Department of Marriage and Family Therapy

Lastenia Francis (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Teaching Professor (Online) in fall 2021. She will teach courses on family systems theories and practice.

Francis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified trauma therapist. She has been practicing since 2014 with an attention to helping minority populations. Francis has provided clinical services in an outpatient clinic in the South Bronx working with low-income communities and communities of color, an intensive preventative program, at the Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counselor, and built a private practice that focuses on building strong families in communities of color. Francis previously taught at Mercy College in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and continues to act as a mentor to developing Marriage and Family Therapists as an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor.

Francis continues to have an insatiable appetite for helping people of color maximize their potential in how they relate to themselves, their spouse, and their family and demonstrates that in her research interest. Dr. Francis was drawn to academia through her passion for training more social justice clinicians to help strengthen families especially those in minority and underserved communities. Her dissertation research focused on the reintegration experiences of Black veterans and their families.

Francis is the Founder of Meaningful E-Motion Private Practice, Assistant Editor of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) blog, and a member of the AAMFT and the AFTA.

Francis Earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University in 2021, a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercy College in 2015, and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Stonybrook University in 2013.
Catherine Garcia portrait

Catherine García

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science/Aging Studies Institute

Catherine García (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Professor in fall 2021. At Syracuse University she will teach classes in Midlife Development and Gerontology.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, García was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and core faculty member of the Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she taught quantitative methods and served as a faculty mentor for the MHDI Summer Research Program.

García’s research focuses on Latina/o/x aging and health in the United States and Puerto Rico, applying multidisciplinary approaches to understand how the interaction of biological, environmental, and social factors influence the disease process among older Latina/o/x adults. Her research work has led to 15 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters, including multiple manuscripts in The Gerontologist and The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including an R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award to Increase Diversity from 2018-2020 and an R01 Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from 2021-2023. Her research has led to several awards, including the Emerging Scholars and Professional Organization (ESPO) Interdisciplinary Paper Award, the ESPO Poster Award, and the Minority Issues in Gerontology Poster Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

Currently, she serves as a steering committee member for the Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA) at the University of Minnesota and is a committee member of the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel (MIGAP) of the Gerontological Society of America. In addition, she will serve on the editorial board for the Journal of Health and Social Behavior beginning in January 2022.

She earned a Ph.D. in Gerontology in 2020 from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Sociology from Florida State University in 2014, and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Human Complex Systems from the University of California – Los Angeles (with college and departmental honors) in 2010.

Estelí Jimenez-Soto portrait

Estelí Jimenez-Soto

Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Estelí Jimenez-Soto (she/hers) joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of food studies in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, she will teach classes in Agriculture and the Environment, including Agroecology, and Climate Change and the Food System. She joins the Syracuse Cluster Initiative in Energy and Environment.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jimenez-Soto was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz in the Department of Community Studies from 2020-2021, and in the Department of Environmental Studies from 2019-2020, where she taught principles of sustainable agriculture and worked on socioeconomic barriers and opportunities to adopt sustainable practices in strawberry production.

Her research uses interdisciplinary engagements, bridging the fields of agroecology and political ecology to examine environmental problems at the nexus of food, agriculture and the environment in both the U.S. and Latin American contexts. She has published in journals including Ecology and Evolution, Bioscience, and Journal of Peasant Studies and her work has been highlighted in publications such as The Economist.

Her research has been supported by UC-MEXUS, El Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT), the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and P.E.O International. In 2020 she was a recipient of a Peter Ashton Award by Biotropica, a Gentry Student Award by the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation in 2017, and a Mildred Mathias Award for best dissertation proposal by the UC-MEXUS in 2015.

She is an active member of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the American Association of Geographers (AAG), the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), New World Agriculture and Ecology Group (NWAEG) and The Alliance for Women in Agroecology (AMA-AWA).

Jimenez-Soto earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and a M.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2018 and 2014 respectively; and an B.S. with honors in Agroecology in 2012 from Universidad Autonoma Chapingo in Mexico. She is originally from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México.

Kevin McNeill Portrait

Kevin McNeill

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Sport Management

Kevin McNeill has been a member of the Department of Sport Management since 2019 in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and will serve as assistant teaching professor beginning in the fall 2021. At Syracuse University, McNeill will teach classes in Sport Technology and Technologies in Game Day Operations.

McNeill previously served as an Internship Placement Coordinator in Sport Management and provided advising for undergraduate students in academics and career exploration. He assisted students through the senior Capstone process and taught classes in Professional Development in Sport Management.

Previously, McNeill worked at Le Moyne College as Associate Athletic Director in the Department of Athletics for 12 years as well as served Syracuse University Athletics as the Marketing Coordinator from 2004 to 2007.

While at Le Moyne, McNeill oversaw the marketing and communications for the Division II athletic program. In that role, he led programming in brand development, revenue generation, digital media, video production, corporate sponsorship, and game day management. In addition to serving on the athletic department leadership team, he co-chaired the College’s strategic plan marketing committee, participated in the College’s integrated marketing committee, and instructed in the Madden School of Business.

Serving as the Marketing Coordinator at Syracuse University Athletics, McNeill supported the department’s broad-based marketing initiatives with a focus on game day promotions, marketing campaigns, ticket sales, advertising, and graphic design.

McNeill earned a Master of Science, Sports Administration and Master of Business Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from Le Moyne College in 2002.

Joey Merrin

Joey Merrin

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science

Gabriel “Joey” Merrin (he/him/his) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Merrin will teach courses in Child and Adolescent Development and Advanced Statistical Methods.

Merrin was most recently an assistant professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University from 2019-2021 and taught graduate-level statistic courses where he focused on reproducible research, programmatic programming, and transparent designs using open science frameworks and guidelines. Before Texas Tech University, he held two post-doctoral fellowships, one in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and the other in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida.

Trained as a developmental psychologist and applied methodologist, Merrin’s research seeks to clarify developmental processes through which adolescents’ experiences with their families, peers, teachers, and communities influence development of problem behaviors and experiences with identity-based harassment and victimization throughout adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood. He is particularly interested in the development of these behaviors among various minoritized and oppressed groups. His work focuses on translating and mobilizing knowledge to inform intervention and prevention efforts to improve the school experience for young people by using applied research designs, leveraging practical implications, and intentional school and community engagement.

His research has been supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institute of Health, and most recently, Merrin and his colleagues at Boston University launched a three-year National Institute of Justice funded study to examine bias-based harassment among adolescents to identify risk and protective factors across multiple levels of the social ecology.

Merrin was recently awarded the 2020-2021 New Faculty Award at Texas Tech University and selected into the Society of Prevention Research Early Career Prevention Scientists Training Program. Merrin currently serves on the editorial board for Prevention Science and Psychology of Violence.

Merrin earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 2017, an Ed.M. in Human Resource Development in 2011, and a B.A. in Sociology in 2009, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Fei Pei portrait

Fei Pei

Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Fei Pei (she/her/hers) joins the School of Social Work in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of social work in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Fei will teach Social Welfare Policy and Services.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Fei was a Ph.D. candidate at the Ohio State University College of Social Work where she also served as a graduate instructor and research assistant, teaching research methods, lifespan development, and social welfare.

The overarching goal of Fei’s research is to promote healthy development among vulnerable children, including maltreated and immigrant youths by identifying neighborhood disparities. In particular, her research focuses on community health and child development. She published over 20 peer-reviewed papers in rigorous academic journals including Child Abuse & Neglect, Children and Youth Services Review, Family & Community Health, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Trauma, Violence & Abuse.

Fei was trained in all aspects of grant-funded and investigator-initiated research projects, ranging from university-funded projects to federal-funded studies (e.g., NIH funded and UNICEF funded projects). Her research has been acknowledged and funded by various institutions and scholarships such as the 2021 Merriss Cornell Distinguished Researcher Award, 2019 Kempe Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute, 2018 International Peace Scholarship, Seed Funding for 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University, and 2015 New Brunswick Chancellor’s Scholarship.

Fei actively participated in professional and community services. She was a volunteered social worker for the local agency, Asian American Community Services in Columbus, OH and the president of the College of Social Work’s Doctoral Student Organization. She also serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for multiple academic journals.

Fei earned a Ph.D. in 2021 from The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, a MSW in 2016 from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, and a LL.B. and a B.S. (double degree) in 2014 from Shanghai University and East China Normal University.


Welcome Class of 2025!

09/08/21

Falk College welcomes the Class of 2025, a talented group from 37 states and 33 global countries. The Class of 2025 includes 373 first-year students, 13 transfer students, 163 new graduate students, and 156 new online graduate students. Fall 2021 Syracuse Welcome is scheduled for Aug. 26-29, 2021, with new student move-in beginning Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The entire welcome week schedule for new students can be found by visiting the Syracuse Welcome website.

Falk College Syracuse Welcome Events:

There are currently no events scheduled, please check back soon.

Falk College Welcomes New Academic Department Chairs 2021-22

20/07/21

As preparations continue for the start of the 2021-22 academic year, Falk College welcomes two new academic department chairs.

  • Dyane Watson, Chair, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy

Dyane Watson, Professor of Practice, began her service as Chair of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in July 2021. Her areas of research include the adult couple relationship, the influence of marginalization and oppression on couple and family relationships, therapeutic outcomes for children and families, mental health training and service delivery for veterans and military families, and training program evaluation for mental health professionals.

Falk College thanks Thom deLara, Professor of Practice, who served in this role since 2007. During his time as Chair of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, he oversaw the expansion of the department and reengineered the curriculum to specifically meet the needs of children, and of those suffering from trauma across the life cycle. In addition, under his direction the department committed itself to educating students, and mental health practitioners, about trauma-informed care as an integral part of evidenced-based clinical practice. In recent years, his curriculum priorities included the development of a nationally recognized clinical program for educating and training mental health providers to work with veterans and military families and the development and implementation of Falk College’s online Marriage and Family Therapy M.A. degree program.

  • Lynn Brann, Chair, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Lynn Brann, Associate Professor, will begin her service as Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in January 2022. Her research interests include the examination of dietary intake and diet quality of children and adolescents related to growth, development, and health, as well as mindful eating to improve self-regulation in children. She is involved in a research collaboration with a colleague in Public Health examining the environmental toxicants, race, and cardiovascular disease risk in children.

Falk College thanks Rick Welsh, Falk Family Endowed Professor, who has served in this role since 2014 and will conclude his service in December 2021. During his time as Chair, food studies, nutrition science and dietetics programs experienced growth and continuation of excellence in research and internships, as well as a range of study abroad experiences. Food studies curriculum development maintained the program’s focus on social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of the global food system. Nutrition curriculum elevated nutrition’s integral connections to public health, medicine, and policy. Under Welsh’s leadership, the two programs have continued to develop and strengthen interdisciplinary research and practice and prepare students to meet emerging trends in both professional fields.

Falk College department chairs continuing their service this year are:

  • Keith DeRuisseau, Chair, Department of Exercise Science
  • Eunjoo Jung, Chair, Department of Human Development and Family Science
  • Lutchmie Narine, Chair, Department of Public Health
  • Carrie Smith, Chair, School of Social Work
  • Michael Veley, Chair, Department of Sport Management

For more information about Falk College academic programs, please visit Falk.syr.edu.


June PTSD Awareness Month

27/05/21

Falk College, National Science Foundation(NSF) REU Program Host Discussion Series for PTSD Awareness Month in June

To educate the local community about issues related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Syracuse University’s Falk College, is offering a discussion series during the month of June, which is designated as National PTSD Awareness Month. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events, such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault.

The discussion series to raise public awareness of PTSD and its effective treatments is free and open to the public. It takes place in conjunction with the Trauma Research Education for Undergraduates program, a joint effort by Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY Oswego to improve access to research experiences for groups typically underrepresented in research.

The project, “Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans,” is directed by Brooks B. Gump, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health and co-directed by Professor Karen Wolford, who also coordinates the interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in trauma studies at SUNY Oswego.

The discussion series includes:

Wednesday, May 26 at 2:00, Virtual
Scott Aubin, U.S. Air Force veteran, PTSD awareness instructor, “Dealing with unrecognized PTSD”.

Wednesday, June 2 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Kyle Possemato, clinical research psychologist, Syracuse VA Center for Integrated Healthcare, “Novel Interventions to Engage Veterans with Unmet Mental Health Needs in Care”.

Monday June 9 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Thom DeLara, Professor of Practice and Chair of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University “Systems Theory, Trauma and Research”.

Wednesday, June 16 at 2:00 pm, Virtual
Keith Alford PhD, Syracuse University Chief Diversity Officer, “Racial, cultural and ethnic response differences to PTSD”.

Wednesday June 23 at 2:00, Virtual
Lt Col. Ian Stewart MD, FACP, FASN, U.S Air Force, Medical Corps, Bethesda, MD. “Long-term mental and physical health after combat trauma”.

Wednesday June 23 at 3:00, Virtual
Jeffrey T. Howard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, “Military Exposures and Accelerated Aging: Understanding Trauma as a Chronic Disease.”

Register to attend!

Supported by a National Science Foundation Research Education for Undergraduates grant and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), this REU program spans one year, including an intensive six-week summer program in June. This program provides research training to increase skills in conducting trauma research while increasing a student’s ability to gain admission to competitive graduate programs.

“Through a competitive national review process, we have selected a group of student-Veterans and traditional students to complete this research training this summer,” says Wolford. “The students will be paired on teams with mentors to research PTSD and will later present their research at national conferences”.

“As part of this research training, we invite guest speakers who have expertise in the area of PTSD to inform our research trainees on cutting edge developments on traumatic stress research. We open these expert talks to the community as part of the June Posttraumatic Stress awareness month, which is an ongoing national effort to educate about PTSD,” Wolford adds.

For more information about the speakers or REU program, contact Moise Laub at mplaub@syr.edu or visit traumaresearch.syr.edu.


Watch Falk College’s Commencement and Convocation Ceremonies

25/05/21
Congratulating the Class of 2021 for their achievements, Chancellor Kent Syverud delivered Commencement remarks in the stadium during three separate ceremonies May 22 and 23.

Chancellor Syverud addressed students in the School of Architecture; College of Arts and Sciences; Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics; School of Education; and University College during the ceremony Saturday, May 22.

During the commencement ceremony professor’s David Larsen and Brittany Kmush in Falk College’s Department of Public Health both received the Chancellor’s medal for their work helping Syracuse University to successfully navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Their expertise in endemiology and public health ensured that the University’s policies were informed by data and aligned with best practices. The Chancellor’s Medal is the highest honor Syracuse University offers and is rarely given. Both had also received the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence during this year’s One University Awards for their invaluable contributions, extraordinary work and selfless efforts to ensure a safe, healthy and rewarding residential experience for our students, faculty and staff in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Falk College also presented a live virtual Convocation at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 22. Watch the recording below.


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