Professor Frankie Wong and Associate Professor Eugenia Millender joined forces with a Panamanian research institute to address global health. Wong expressed his excitement for this new alliance, stating, “By combining the expertise of both institutions, we can make a real difference in the lives of people in Panama and beyond.”

Associate Professor Michael Nair-Collins, Ph.D., participated in a debate with Tracie Mahaffey, Ph.D., from the FSU Department of Philosophy on the topic “Organ & Tissue Donation Programs: The Bioethical Issues.” The debate centered on the idea of transitioning to an opt-out organ donation system. Mahaffey supported this approach, citing widespread public approval and willingness to participate, while Nair-Collins opposed it, emphasizing concerns about organ donors' lack of valid consent and the accuracy of death determination relative to the legal standard.

In this paper, the team led by Sara Green, MSW, discussed electronic health records as a cost-effective approach to providing necessary foundations for clinical trial research, as well as highlighting challenges of the regulatory process in the implementation of utilizing electronic health records in adolescent HIV research.

Nicole Ennis, Vice Chair of BSSM, Ph.D., had a recent appearance in a reel from CAN Community Health discussing the importance of HIV research at this year’s Florida HIV CPR Conference. In the reel, Dr. Ennis expressed the importance of research being the opportunity to understand what approaches work for who and under what circumstances, and the value of gatherings like the CPR Conference because they bring a robust infrastructure of participants, of what the actual issues people are facing to help academic researchers understand what evidence-based interventions are needed in the treatment and prevention of HIV.

Professor and Mina Jo Powell Endowed Chair in Neurological Sciences, Dr. Andrew Kozel, M.D., gave a talk on mental and behavioral health at the FSU Office of Research’s Collaborative Collision event in March. Kozel’s lecture provided an overview of how far the field has come and challenges that continue to face the research community.

Assistant Professor Yang Hou, Ph.D., recently delivered an informational lecture on rare diseases at BSSM's quarterly Community Rounds series with a panel on “Highlighting Pediatric Rare Diseases and Community Impacts.” Also hear from Fran Hokkanen, volunteer at NORD, about her experience in patient advocacy, Michele Holbrook, 2023 National Ambassador for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, spoke on her personal experiences with rare diseases, and Director of the Florida State University Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases, Pradeep Bhide, Ph.D., introducing this new FSU institute and the services it will provide to the community.

Assistant Professor Julia Sheffler, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Scott Pickett, Ph.D., recently co-authored a journal article titled “Sleep Quality as a Critical Pathway Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Multimorbidity and the Impact of Lifestyle.” This study aims to establish the effects of adverse childhood experiences on multimorbidity through sleep quality and investigate whether lifestyle factors may influence this relationship among middle-aged and older adults.

Assistant Professor Julia Sheffler, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Scott Pickett, Ph.D., recently co-authored a journal article titled “Sleep Quality as a Critical Pathway Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Multimorbidity and the Impact of Lifestyle.” This study aims to establish the effects of adverse childhood experiences on multimorbidity through sleep quality and investigate whether lifestyle factors may influence this relationship among middle-aged and older adults.

Professor Robert Glueckauf, Ph.D., & Tomeka Norton from the ACTS2 Caregiver Project recently held a workshop titled, "Managing Sleep Difficulties in Caring for a Loved One with Dementia: Strategies for Success." During this workshop, Associate Professor Scott Pickett discussed effective habits and resources on how to maintain sleep while providing care to a loved one with dementia.

BSSM Department Chair Heather Flynn, Ph.D., and Co-Chair of the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative (FL-MMHC), alongside Alex Carlisle, Ph.D., and CEO of The National Alliance against Disparities in Patient Health (NADPH), are working on groundbreaking projects to address healthcare disparities and promote health equity.

Megan Deichen Hansen, Ph.D., presented a Grand Rounds lecture at the Harvard Medical School discussing “Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs: An Innovative Tool for Perinatal Mental Health Equity.” Deichen Hansen’s talk focused on the contemporary landscape of maternal mental health inequities, gaps in care along the mental healthcare pathway, and strategies for promoting equitable outcomes using a perinatal integrated care model.

Associate Professor Karen MacDonell, along with scholars Bo Wang, and Nittaya Phanuphak are co-leading multiple NIH-funded projects focused on HIV prevention in vulnerable groups of young adults in Bangkok, Thailand. Recently, U.S. investigators worked with the Thai team at IHRI and were able to tour multiple clinical partner sites in the Bangkok area. If successful, this collaboration will result in mobile, technology-based intervention tools that IHRI and other clinical partner sites can offer to young adult patients to manage their health and reduce the risk of HIV.

Associate Professor Michael Nair-Collins, Ph.D.,  argues that the evaluation for brain death should require assessment for loss of hormonal secretion from the pituitary gland and hypothalamus to fit the current guidelines of the Uniform Determination of Death Act.

Susan Epstein's collaborative endeavor seeks to enhance the integration of Cognitive Information Processing theory, research, and practice.

Associate Professor Joseph Gabriel, Ph.D., talked on how the increased sale of proprietary medicines led to a professional crisis among pharmacists related to their loss of autonomy.

The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine is in an expansion phase. We are actively seeking exceptional faculty members at all career stages to join us and be a part of our bright future.