Congratulations to the following students in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS) who successfully defended their doctoral dissertations this semester:
Rio Tate celebrates defending his dissertation on Oct. 30.
Rio Tate, a student of aging studies, successfully defended his dissertation, 鈥淭he Association of Physical Activity to Cognitive Performance in African American Older Adults" on Oct. 30. Tate's examining committee included Stephanie Marhefka, PhD, who served as chairperson; William Haley, PhD, and Brent Small, PhD, who served as co-major professors; Hongdao Meng, MD, PhD; and Olivio Clay, PhD.
Alyssa Rojas, a student of applied behavior analysis, successfully defended her dissertation, "Evaluating the Efficacy of an Augmented Competing Stimulus Assessment at Establishing Competing Stimuli for the Treatment of Automatically Reinforced Challenging Behavior" on Nov. 18. Rojas's examining committee included William Ahearn, PhD, BCBA-D, who served as chairperson; Catia Cividini-Motta, PhD, BCBA-D, who served as major professor; Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, PhD, BCBA-D; and Raymond Miltenberger, PhD, BCBA-D.
John Martin, a student of behavioral and community sciences, successfully defended his dissertation, "The Role of Self Determination in Transition-Age Youth," on Oct. 22. Martin's examining committee included Troy Quast, PhD, who served as chairperson; Donna Burton, PhD, and Oliver Tom Massey, PhD, who served as co-major professors; and Roxann Taormina, PhD.
Diane Martinez, a student of communication sciences and disorders, successfully defended her dissertation, "Translating Evidence to Action: An Evidence-Based Framework for Optimizing Cochlear Implant Programming in Adult Recipient" on Oct. 27. Martinez's examining committee included Ren茅 H. Gifford, PhD, who served as chairperson; Michelle Arnold, AuD, PhD, and Theresa Chisolm, PhD, who served as co-major professors; and Jennifer Lister, PhD.
Tara Matta, a student of social work, successfully defended her dissertation, "Investigating
Whether Giving or Receiving Support Impacts Caregivers Who Were Maltreated or Not
Maltreated Differently" on Oct. 30. Matta's examining committee included William E.
Haley, PhD, who served as chairperson; Sondra Fogel, PhD, who served as major professor;
Nan Sook Park, PhD; Kerry Littlewood, PhD; and Matthew Moore, PhD.
In addition, the following CBCS students were admitted into doctoral candidacy:
Klejdis Bilali
Criminology
Klejdis Bilali is a doctoral student in criminology and a graduate research assistant at the USF Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Risk to Resilience Lab. She completed her Master of Arts in clinical psychology at the University of Central Florida and her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at USF St. Petersburg. Broadly, Bilali's research interests center on interpersonal violence, including human trafficking, child abuse and familial violence. Her research throughout her academic tenure has focused on examining risk factors and the behavioral, psychological and social consequences of interpersonal violence, with an emphasis on prevention and intervention.
Allahon Marbra
Behavioral and Community Sciences
Allahon Marbra is a doctoral student in behavioral and community sciences. She holds a Master of Science in child, youth, and family studies from the University of Nebraska鈥揕incoln and a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice with a minor in family studies from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Her current research focuses on improving outcomes for justice-involved youth through educational, behavioral and mental-health system reform. Her areas of interest include trauma-responsive practices in juvenile justice settings, hope-based and rehabilitation-focused interventions, and policy and program alignment within the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Maria Salome Velez
Social Work
Maria Salome 鈥淪al鈥� Velez is a doctoral student in social work. She earned both her Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work from East Tennessee State University. Velez' experience working in a boys' shelter for unaccompanied minors launched her trajectory into her areas of interest: the mental health of unaccompanied minor children and lack of access to resources. In her pursuit of her doctorate in social work, Velez intends to address the challenges faced by minor children and their access to care post-custody and the policy-level barriers that prevent the children and families from receiving the care they need.
Morgan Stalcup
Criminology
Morgan Stalcup is a doctoral student in criminology. She received her Master of Public Administration and her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from the University of South Alabama. Her research interests focus on courts, courtroom actors, sentencing and administrative policy in the criminal justice system.