The Center of Medicine and Public Health Policy & Practice is excited to announce two medical students, Destyni Weiss and Mia McSheffrey, were awarded the 2025 FSU College of Medicine Summer Research Fellowship under the mentorship of CMPHPP faculty member Dr. Samantha Goldfarb. This fellowship provides students with opportunities, encouragement, and support in research endeavors. Both students will be conducting research over the summer and will present their findings to a College of Medicine audience in mid-Fall 2025.

Destyni Weiss, M.D. Candidate Class of 2028

Destyni will be conducting a mixed-methods study exploring how community paramedicine programs support patients with substance-use disorders and mental health crises in Marion County, Florida. She will be conducting structured interviews with program leadership and paramedics and to assess intervention strategies, training adequacy, implementation barriers, and program evolution since 2022. Additionally, paramedic responses to the Professional Quality of Life survey, which measures compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, will be analyzed. The findings from these research activities will be used to provide insights into strengthening community paramedicine programs and improving care for vulnerable populations.

Mia McSheffrey, M.D. Candidate Class of 2028

Mia will be conducting a mixed-methods study investigating the experiences of peer navigators within a substance-use disorder recovery program in Duval County, Florida. This research will assess peer navigators' professional quality of life and explore solutions to further support members of this profession. To achieve this, she will analyze peer navigator responses to the Professional Quality of Life survey, which measures compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, and conduct a semi-structured focus group with peer navigators and an individual interview with the program director. The combined results from the quantitative and qualitative data will be used to inform resources and trainings aimed at supporting peer navigators and strengthening workforce retention.