The Florida State University Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship will conduct a first-of-its-kind study that explores the link between proper fit of personal protective equipment (PPE) and occupational cancer risk for women in the fire service.  

In partnership with the University of Arizona, FSU Carol Avery Professor Meredith McQuerry, lab director of the Wearable Advancements in Research and Performance (WARP) group, received a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to further examine the relationship between gear fit and occupational cancer. The findings will be applicable to approximately 1.1 million members of the United States Fire Service. 

“I am honored to be part of this award, partnering with colleagues at the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, to study how gear fit directly impacts occupational cancer for the first time,” McQuerry said. “We hope this work will inform standard sizing improvements for increased firefighter health and safety.” 

“I am honored to be part of this award, partnering with colleagues at the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, to study how gear fit directly impacts occupational cancer for the first time. We hope this work will inform standard sizing improvements for increased firefighter health and safety.” 

– Meredith McQuerry, FSU Carol Avery Professor

McQuerry and her research team will compare gear fit of female firefighters with cancer biomarkers that provide results from pre-to-post live fire training burns at four structural fire departments across the United States, including Florida, California, Arizona and Virginia. Occupational cancer is the leading cause of long-term line-of-duty deaths in the fire service. Last spring, FSU principal investigator and postdoctoral fellow Josephine Bolaji collaborated with Arizona to deploy a multi-measurement system to quantify gear fit during a pilot trial.  

FSU’s latest research is a hallmark of the FSU Health mission, an integrated academic health system that brings together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of the communities the university serves. McQuerry is a member of ICON-Health, an institute dedicated to combatting chronic disease through comprehensive, multidisciplinary research. 

As director of the ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab®, McQuerry has world-renowned expertise in clothing comfort physiology with industry-leading research that investigates ways to improve first-responder safety through functional equipment. Her latest grant explores multiple risk factors for toxic exposure and reproductive outcomes for the female firefighter population. 

McQuerry has received federally funded awards demonstrating the potentially hazardous relationship between poor gear fit and increased occupational exposure. She recently chaired a research team that concluded a five-year multi-state project titled “Protective Clothing for Wildland Firefighters,” providing recommendations to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) on improving methods for cleaning and safeguarding PPE for wildland firefighters. 

As head of the WARP Group, McQuerry leads a team of postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students at the ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab ®, the Textile Testing Laboratory and the 3D Body Scanning Lab. Over the last decade, WARP has received more than $5 million in funding for research that spans protective equipment design, clothing comfort physiology, medical textiles and material durability. 

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With Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaching in October, several organizations are actively preparing campaigns to spread awareness about early detection and prevention. However, a significant knowledge gap remains between available medical information and actual awareness among young women. 

New research from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine notes that among women, breast cancer is the leading source of alcohol attributable cancer. Yet, according to the National Cancer Institute, less than one-third of young adult women are even aware that drinking alcohol is a breast cancer risk factor.  

Russell B. Clayton, Distinguished and Endowed Provost McKenzie Professor in the College of Communication and Information at Florida State University, is working to bridge this gap through a recently awarded $3.1 million, five-year National Institutes of Health federal grant in collaboration with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James and the UMass Chan Medical School. The grant will support a series of projects over the five-year funding period focused on identifying the most effective social media strategies for spreading awareness about the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer in women. 

Clayton believes several factors may be contributing to this information gap.  

“Traditional alcohol-related health messaging has largely focused on more immediate and familiar risks, such as drinking and driving, rather than the longer-term cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption,” Clayton explained. “The evidence for alcohol-focused cancer messaging is also less established than it is for tobacco.”  

The lack of research available on this subject is exactly what Clayton and his team aim to address through their series of studies. They will focus specifically on social media messaging due to its potential to reach a wider audience, especially among women in younger populations.  

“We are interested not only in whether a message changes what people say they believe, but also in whether it captures and sustains attention, strengthens memory for the message and ultimately influences attitudes and behavioral intentions,” Clayton explained.  

“We are interested not only in whether a message changes what people say they believe, but also in whether it captures and sustains attention, strengthens memory for the message and ultimately influences attitudes and behavioral intentions.”

– Russell B. Clayton Distinguished and Endowed Provost McKenzie Professor

Clayton also noted that rather than using top-down messaging, members of the grant team at Ohio State University worked with young adult women to create several social messages communicating the risk of alcohol consumption in relation to breast cancer. The participants were able to provide useful information, including that Instagram and TikTok are the preferred platforms for young women.  

“Involving young women directly in the design process allows our team to develop messages that reflect how they actually think about alcohol, breast cancer risk and social media,” Clayton added. “Their input helps us develop messages that are relevant, credible and engaging to the audience we are trying to reach.”  

To achieve this goal, the researchers will use a range of methods, including nationally representative online self-report surveys followed by laboratory experiments employing psychophysiological measures that provide insight into participants’ cognitive and emotional responses to the messages, such as eye tracking, heart rate and skin conductance. Together, these methods will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how people respond to different social media messages. 

“Self-report questions typically ask people to report what they remember, what they felt or what they thought about a message after message exposure,” Clayton noted. “Measures such as eye tracking, heart rate and skin conductance give us another window into those responses and help us understand which parts of a message capture visual attention and generate cognitive or emotional engagement.”  

Overall, Clayton and the research team aim to provide a solution that can ultimately be used to design better and more effective social media messaging that communicates the risks associated with alcohol and breast cancer. 

“We can then build on these findings by rigorously testing optimized messages on actual behavioral outcomes and developing strategies that could eventually be scaled to population-based and national campaigns aimed at reducing alcohol-related cancer risk,” Clayton said.  

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A Florida State University researcher will use a combination of artificial intelligence tools and laboratory testing to find innovative treatments for brain cancer, particularly for children.

Qing-Xiang “Amy” Sang, the Diane and Michael Bruton Professor for Cancer Research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received more than $500,000 from the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund to determine which existing cancer drugs have the potential to also effectively treat rare pediatric brain cancers. Sang will use AI to quickly sort through a large volume of data to identify which drugs show the most promise as brain cancer treatments before testing them in the laboratory to investigate how they interact with various brain cancers at the molecular level.

Created in 2024 under the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund aims to strengthen collaborations between oncologists and scientists by supporting cutting-edge cancer research and treatment models.

“Brain cancers are among the deadliest and hardest-to-treat cancers in both children and adults,” Sang said. “There are many types of brain cancers, so a drug that works well against one may do nothing against another. However, different tumors often share hidden similarities in their underlying biology. This grant will help us examine drugs that are already known to work against certain cancers and test whether they can also treat different, less-studied types of brain cancer.”

There are nearly 600 cancer-fighting drugs on the market today, made possible by countless hours of research, culminating in the production of more than 1 million cancer-related scientific publications worldwide from 2010-2019 alone. These publications contain valuable findings on cancer biology, cancer-drug interactions and patient response to different treatments.

However, because the volume of research is so vast, it would be nearly impossible for one person, or even one laboratory group, to spot crucial patterns across this data set even if they had the time and funding to do so. Sang will use AI to bridge this gap, quickly analyzing which of those nearly 600 cancer drugs have the highest potential to effectively combat specific understudied brain cancers, such as atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma — both of which are rare and presently incurable pediatric brain cancers.

Repurposing existing medicines for cancer-fighting benefits

Sang will expand her search to include drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for non-cancer conditions. For example, tamoxifen was first approved as a contraceptive pill, but scientists later discovered it can treat breast cancer and even lower the risk of tumor development in high-risk patients.

“By identifying molecular similarities among tumors, we can make educated, data-driven hypotheses about which existing drugs might work in a new biological setting,” said Sang, who is also affiliated with FSU’s Institute of Molecular Biophysics. “We will take our top candidates for novel brain cancer treatments into the lab and test them directly on brain tumor cells to demonstrate that our approach works in practice, not just theory.”

In the lab, Sang will test how the recommended drugs interact with real, patient-derived organoids — three-dimensional, ball-shaped clusters of cells — which behave much more like a whole tumor than a single flat layer of cells. This method aligns with a national shift away from animal testing, driven by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s preference for use of computer-based tools and realistic human-cell models when possible.

“Dr. Sang is a highly regarded biochemist with remarkable creativity, persistence, and a research program yielding unique insights,” said Wei Yang, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry chair. “Her new grant is also a testimony to the advancement of A Strategic Plan to Inspire Research Excellence, or the FSU ASPIRE mission, developed to identify strategic areas of focus and investment, ensuring the sustained growth and impact of FSU’s research enterprise, particularly in the area of drug discovery.”

While Sang primarily focuses on rare pediatric brain cancers, she also seeks treatments for more common forms, like glioblastoma tumors. Compared to more prevalent cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer, brain tumors account for less than two percent of all new U.S. cancer cases, according to the National Foundation for Cancer Research.

“Because we research drugs that are already approved or have gone through early-stage clinical trials, the odds of successfully moving them toward new patients are much higher than trying to build a brand-new compound,” Sang said. “This is especially important for rare brain cancers, which often attract little interest from pharmaceutical companies simply because the number of patients is small and potential profit is limited.”

Sang’s work also supports FSU Health, an academic health system combining the expertise of hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of our community.

“Our goal is to extend the lives of cancer patients, enhance quality of life and when possible, provide a cure,” Sang said. “I hope that in our efforts to repurpose existing drugs, we have a realistic shot at finding effective treatments for difficult brain cancers in a quicker timeframe.”

To learn more about research conducted in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit chem.fsu.edu.

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Although music has been used as a form of healing for centuries, music therapy is still considered an emerging healthcare practice. At the Florida State University College of Music, a professor is helping to grow this clinical intervention that addresses everything from anxiety to physical rehabilitation. 

Professor of Music Therapy Lori Gooding is accelerating the industry through research and translational courses. She believes there is a misconception surrounding music therapy that needs to be cleared up.  

“A lot of people don’t recognize that music therapy is a profession you train for, that you have academic and clinical training, that there’s a board certification exam you have to pass and there’s licensure in many states,” Gooding said.  

She also addressed the core difference between the informal therapeutic benefits of listening to a favorite playlist and clinical, evidence-based music therapy, as they are often thought of as one.  

“The difference between that and what we do in music therapy is that we are going in and assessing an individualized need, and we are using music within the context of a therapeutic relationship to help someone restore, maintain or improve their functioning,” Gooding said.  

FSU is nationally recognized for having one of the earliest established leading programs in music therapy with a 100% placement rate among graduates. The program often places its graduates in fields such as medicine, mental health, special education, hospice and older adult services. 

Gooding attributes the program’s success to equipping students with the latest research so they enter the workforce fully prepared. 

“I think one of the things that makes us unique is we are really grounded in research; we’re really integrating what the current evidence is,” Gooding noted. “They’re also learning how to generate new evidence. It’s going to not just keep practice current but actually push practice forward. It’s that combination, I think, that sets us apart.” 

In addition, in partnership with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, FSU offers a NICU-MT certificate program through the College of Music. Gooding explains how this program highlights the physical relief music therapy can offer its patients.  

“We’re watching the monitors for their heart rate, their respiration rate, the oxygen saturation rate, and so on,” Gooding said. “And based on what’s happening, knowing where those levels need to be, and watching what’s happening while we’re doing the music intervention, we actually adjust what we’re doing.”  

Gooding’s practice aligns with FSU Health, the university’s integrated health system that brings together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of the communities FSU serves. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, music therapy’s countless benefits include lowering blood pressure, improving memory, enhancing social skills, reducing muscle tension and more.  

Music therapy can also be particularly effective for mental health treatments. Gooding noted that for anxious patients, integrating music into preexisting methods of relaxation can minimize their stress levels.  

“A lot of people do relaxation exercises like deep breathing, that kind of thing,” Gooding said. “We take those similar concepts and pair it with music, so that if someone is feeling anxious, or if they’re noticing that their heart rate is elevating, they can use the steady pulse of a piece of music or a music exercise or experience to help their body kind of get in line with that steady pulse, which is going to help literally physiologically slow them down.”  

Music therapy can be particularly effective in treating adolescents struggling with their mental health. In these cases, there are a variety of methods specialists may use, including analyzing lyrics.  

“Where it might be a challenge for someone to engage in just one-on-one talking directly about themselves, we can find a song that has lyrics that are relevant to what that person is going through, and that creates a space that allows people to say, ‘Well, I noticed this in the song, you know what? I do that sometimes too,’” Gooding said.  

The evidence-based practice remains a versatile profession, offering a range of clinical approaches designed to meet patient needs. An essential component of the field lies in its individualized nature, ensuring that every treatment is tailored to support each patient’s specific needs.  

“One person could love heavy metal music and find that relaxing because it’s their favorite kind of music, whereas for another person, that’s going to increase their anxiety,” Gooding said. “We really lean into that patient-preferred piece to try to connect with them.” 

As she trains the next generation of music therapists, Gooding is bolstering an emerging healthcare practice ready to put its patients at ease. One of music therapy’s early pioneers, the FSU College of Music is proving once again that great music has strong healing power. 

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The Lindsay Clancy trial was the latest high-profile case that affected defendants, families, jurors, judges and the professionals charged with administering justice.

At Florida State University, Mimi Graham, director of the FSU Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy (CPEIP), is leading an effort to bring trauma science directly into judicial practice. Through CPEIP, FSU has developed training to help judges and court professionals better understand how trauma can shape behavior, decision making and courtroom experiences.

“Everybody coming to court has trauma,” Graham said. “If you don’t have trauma before you come into the court, what brings you into court is trauma, whether it’s the criminal court, or civil court, or dependency. All of them have the capacity to be therapeutic.”

The course, “Trauma & Resilience Education for the Judiciary: Aligning What We Know With What We Do,” integrates brain science, attachment science, trauma research and resilience science into judicial practice. The recently launched program is free for Florida professionals and offers continuing education credits, with the goal of translating research into practical tools for courtroom decision making.

The initiative is part of FSU Health, the university’s integrated health system that brings together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of the communities FSU serves.

“We felt, as a university, it is appropriate to bring the science to the field and say, ‘Here it is, you can make better decisions when you know the science,’ Graham added.

“We felt, as a university, it is appropriate to bring the science to the field and say, ‘Here it is, you can make better decisions when you know the science.’”

– Mimi Graham, director of the FSU Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy

The work is grounded in research showing that early trauma can affect brain development, behavior and later involvement in the court system. Graham said the first 1,000 days, from prenatal development to age 3, are especially critical because much of the brain develops during that period. Even when children are too young to remember adverse experiences, she said, their bodies can carry the effects.

Graham’s work also extends beyond the courtroom. She is part of the FSU Young Parents Project, which provides intensive home visiting, parent-child support, trauma-informed care and resource coordination for court-involved expectant and parenting youth across Florida. The project is aimed at interrupting what Graham describes as the trauma-to-prison pipeline, in which children and youth who experience severe early-life trauma are punished or criminalized instead of receiving care and support.

In the courtroom, Graham said trauma-informed practices can change both communication and outcomes. She has seen practices, such as abrupt child removals, repeated questioning of trafficking survivors, intimidating language and courtroom logistics that keep children waiting for hours further compound the harm people have already experienced.

“There are ways that you can have trauma-informed courtrooms,” Graham said. “In every phase of the process, we have these things called ‘what harms’ and ‘what helps.’ What harms is kids in a waiting room with a hundred other people at the courthouse waiting all day for their turn. What helps is to have a specified time that is on the docket and a child-friendly waiting room where they can be called in and seen.”

Graham points to Florida’s Early Childhood Court, also known as baby court, as an example of a trauma-informed approach in action. The non-adversarial, problem-solving court serves infants and toddlers involved in the child welfare system because of abuse or neglect. Specialized judges work with multidisciplinary teams that include community coordinators and infant mental health clinicians.

Graham said the latest data available to her show that children in Early Childhood Court are nearly 53% more likely to be reunited with families compared to children in other courts.

Trauma-informed training also recognizes the toll that difficult cases, like the Lindsay Clancy trial, can take on those inside the courtroom. Graphic testimony and evidence can affect jurors, judges and frontline workers, Graham said, making self-care and organizational support a necessary part of administering justice.

One chapter in the CPEIP training focuses on judicial self-care, a response to research showing rising mental health concerns and suicides within the profession.

“Our organizations are not properly helping people that spend their days working and are exposed to traumatic events,” Graham said.

As trauma continues to shape what happens in courtrooms, FSU is positioning itself as a national leader in trauma-informed justice by translating decades of research into practical tools that can change how judges, attorneys and court professionals understand the people who come before them. Through CPEIP’s work, FSU is helping move the justice system beyond reaction and punishment toward a model grounded in science, resilience and healing.

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The Florida State University College of Nursing has been awarded $1.96 million through the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award to develop and test an artificial intelligence-powered intervention that delivers personalized behavioral health support.

Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and led by Assistant Professor Liying Wang, the project will support the development and testing of a program called Glow. This generative AI-powered, just-in-time adaptive intervention will provide personalized dialectical behavior therapy skills coaching to people who are at risk for HIV or substance use. The research will explore how AI can reduce health risks associated with HIV and substance use by safely delivering personalized behavioral health skills and coping strategies when individuals need them most.

“By combining the patient-centered perspective of nursing with evidence-based behavioral interventions and emerging AI technologies, this work has the potential to make personalized support timelier and more responsive to individual needs,” Wang said. “Ultimately, we hope to explore how these technologies can safely extend the reach of care and improve patient outcomes.”

Wang is a member of the FSU College of Nursing’s Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI) and the Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment (CPSHE). Notably, this award is part of her efforts as faculty of FLORIDA FIRST, a university-wide career development program housed at CPSHE and directed by Professors Frankie Wong, Eugenia Millender and Pamela Keel. FLORIDA FIRST is supported by NIH FIRST, a National Institutes of Health initiative that aims to enhance and maintain cultures of excellence in the biomedical research community.

The project reflects the FSU College of Nursing’s growing focus on integrating AI and emerging technologies into nursing research, education and practice. Through initiatives such as IDHI, the college continues to explore new ways to harness AI to advance nursing science, strengthen healthcare delivery and prepare nurses to lead in a quickly growing technology-driven field.

“Artificial intelligence is helping us pave the way for how we understand and deliver healthcare, and nurses must be at the forefront of shaping how these technologies are used,” said Lisa Hightow-Weidman, associate dean for research for the FSU College of Nursing and co-director for the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation. “Dr. Wang’s work exemplifies the kind of interdisciplinary, high-impact research that can move digital health innovation forward while keeping patients and their care at the center.”

To learn more about the innovative research at the FSU College of Nursing, visit nursing.fsu.edu.

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As Suicide Prevention Month brings renewed national attention to mental health, Florida State University Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology Thomas Joiner stands among the nation’s most influential researchers, dedicating his career to understanding why people die by suicide and how communities can help prevent it.

Suicide remains a leading public health challenge in the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting 48,824 deaths by suicide in 2024. Each September, organizations including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline use Suicide Prevention Month to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help before a crisis becomes fatal.

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Florida State University researchers at the College of Medicine and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering will study how physical changes in cells contribute to the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common type of pancreatic cancer and the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

The research, which is supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, will help scientists understand how the shape and organization of pancreatic cells change as the disease develops and whether these physical changes help tumors grow and spread to other parts of the body.

Pancreatic cancer progression

Changes in cell structure and organization are a hallmark of pancreatic cancer progression and are routinely used by pathologists to assess disease stage and progression. Using human-derived pancreatic organoids — miniature 3D models of pancreatic tissue grown in the lab — the researchers will recreate key structural features seen in real patient tumors, from normal pancreatic tissue to advanced cancer.

Normal organoids have a central hollow space, called a lumen, surrounded by a thin layer of cells, similar to the structure of a normal pancreatic duct in the body. In pancreatic cells with primary tumors or metastatic tumors, the lumen is different.

“Primary tumor organoids still have a lumen, but the surrounding cell layer becomes much thicker,” said grant co-investigator Jerome Irianto, assistant professor at the College of Medicine. “In metastatic organoids, the central lumen collapses and is replaced by multiple small lumen-like structures, resembling the disorganized architecture seen in advanced pancreatic tumors. This led us to ask two important questions: What drives these structural changes, and what are the consequences for cancer progression?”

How it works: Cellular physics

The lumen depends on the movement of ions and water to maintain its shape and fluid balance. As ions are transported into the lumen, water follows. The surrounding layer of epithelial cells contains this fluid, creating physical forces that help shape the organoid.

When fewer ion and water channels are present, this delicate balance is disrupted. 

“A major factor driving the collapse of the lumen is the loss of ion transport that normally helps build pressure inside it, almost like filling a balloon,” said mechanobiologist Tristan Driscoll, assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and a co-investigator on the grant. “When that pressure changes, it also changes the mechanical forces experienced by the surrounding cells and how those cells sense and respond to those forces.”

These physical changes may have important consequences for tumor progression. Previous research by the Irianto Lab has identified ion and water channels as potential drivers of changes in lumen structure. In pancreatic tumor organoids, genes responsible for these channels are expressed at lower levels than in normal pancreatic cells. Their expression decreases even further as tumors progress and spread, suggesting a connection between these channels, changes in lumen structure and cancer progression. 

The research team will measure forces between neighboring epithelial cells and the forces transmitted to the nuclear envelope surrounding the cell’s DNA to examine how changes in lumen pressure may ultimately affect cell behavior. 

Yes-associated protein

The Irianto Lab will investigate whether these changes affect a force-sensitive protein called yes-associated protein, or YAP.

Using gene-editing techniques, Irianto and his team will test how changes in ion and water transport, lumen structure and YAP activity work together to influence pancreatic cancer progression.

Under normal cellular conditions, YAP remains outside of the nucleus in an inactive state. When physical forces change or the cell is compressed, YAP moves into the nucleus in its active state to turn on genes that control cell growth, survival and other behaviors important in cancer.

Why it matters: Improving pancreatic cancer survival rates

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a particularly deadly and prevalent form of pancreatic cancer. The disease accounts for more than 80% of pancreatic cancer cases, and the five-year survival rate is around 13%.

Most patients have tumors that cannot be removed with surgery or that have grown larger or spread into nearby tissues. Traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation have not been shown to significantly improve survival.

“Our goal is to reveal new vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer that could shape future treatment strategies,” Irianto said. “Despite advancements in care, this continues to be an especially deadly disease that kills tens of thousands of people every year. The better we understand how this works within cells, the better we will be at stopping it.”

Multidisciplinary research to drive impact

Irianto and Driscoll will work with mathematical modeler Katarzyna Rejniak from the Moffitt Cancer Center, pancreatic cancer biologist Chang-il Hwang from UC Davis, and pathologist Jose I. Diaz from the FSU College of Medicine. By combining engineering, cell biology, cancer biology, mathematical modeling and pathology, the team hopes to uncover aspects of pancreatic cancer that cannot be fully understood by studying genes or biochemical pathways alone.

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Dawn C. Carr, director of Florida State University’s Claude Pepper Center and Mildred and Claude Pepper Professor of Sociology in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, has been elected to the board of directors of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), one of the world’s largest interdisciplinary organizations devoted to the study of aging.

Carr will begin her term Jan. 1. GSA’s more than 6,000 members include researchers, educators, clinicians and policy professionals working across disciplines to advance research, education, practice and policy related to aging.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve GSA and contribute to an organization that has played such an important role in advancing the study of aging,” Carr said. “As our population ages, it is increasingly important that we bring together researchers and professionals across disciplines to better understand what helps people remain healthy, active and engaged throughout their lives.”

Carr’s research focuses on identifying factors that help older adults remain healthy and active as long as possible. Over the past decade, she has studied the connections between health and active engagement in the second half of life, including how employment, retirement, volunteering, caregiving, social relationships and major health events affect health and well-being.

Her recent research also examines how early-life experiences and exposures can affect outcomes later in life and how psychological resources can help people remain resilient as they age.

As director of the Claude Pepper Center, Carr leads a center dedicated to advancing research and policy aimed at improving the lives of older adults. The center focuses on issues affecting older people and their families and works with policymakers, agencies and researchers to promote evidence-based policymaking.

Founded in 1945, GSA brings together experts from a range of disciplines involved in the study of aging. The organization’s work spans biological, medical, behavioral and social research as well as education, practice and public policy.

Carr joined FSU in 2016. Before coming to Florida State, she was a researcher at the Stanford Center on Longevity, a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Program for Health and Aging Research at the Institute on Aging at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a researcher at the Scripps Gerontology Center.

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As North Florida faces a growing shortage of healthcare providers, Florida State University is helping address the challenge through FSU Health, the university’s academic health system. By bringing together education, clinical care and research, FSU Health is preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals while expanding access to care across the region.

The need is expected to grow in the coming years. Florida’s population is expanding and aging, increasing demand for healthcare just as many physicians and nurses approach retirement.

According to the Florida Department of Health, more than one-third of Florida’s practicing physicians are age 60 or older. At the same time, Florida’s population age 65 and older is projected to reach 6.7 million by 2036, or more than a quarter of the state’s population. A workforce analysis commissioned by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida projects the state could face a shortage of about 18,000 physicians and nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035.

Those challenges are especially pronounced in rural North Florida, where many communities have limited access to primary and specialty care. The Florida Department of Health’s annual Physician Workforce Report shows many Panhandle counties have among the state’s lowest physician-to-population ratios, underscoring the need to recruit and retain more healthcare professionals.

Unlike a traditional health system centered on a single hospital, FSU Health brings together the university’s colleges, research enterprise and clinical partners to educate healthcare professionals, advance research and improve patient care. Supported by investments from the Florida Legislature, the universitywide initiative spans disciplines across FSU and works with healthcare providers throughout North Florida.

“The healthcare workforce shortage isn’t something any one hospital, university or health system can solve alone,” said Jeremy Slaga, vice president and chief clinical operations officer of FSU Health. “FSU Health was created to align education, research and patient care with the strengths of our clinical partners so we can prepare more healthcare professionals, expand access to care and create lasting health benefits for communities across North Florida.”

Responding to the need

Preparing the healthcare workforce Florida will need for decades to come is central to FSU Health’s mission.

Since its founding in 2000, the FSU College of Medicine has focused on preparing physicians, physician assistants and other healthcare professionals to serve rural, medically underserved and aging populations.

“As someone who grew up in rural Gadsden County, I understand how important it is for families to have access to quality healthcare close to home,” said Alma Littles, M.D., dean of the FSU College of Medicine and president of the Florida Medical Association. “That mission has guided our college from the beginning. We’re preparing physicians and other healthcare professionals who understand the needs of these communities and are committed to serving them.”

That approach is producing results.

This year, all 120 FSU College of Medicine graduates who participated in the National Resident Matching Program matched into residency programs. Nearly half matched in Florida, while another 31% matched in neighboring Southeastern states, meaning nearly four out of five remained in the region.

Many entered specialties facing some of Florida’s greatest workforce needs, including the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.

Graduate medical education is another critical part of addressing Florida’s physician shortage. Because physicians are more likely to establish their practices near where they complete residency training, expanding residency opportunities can help Florida retain more doctors.

FSU’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs graduated a record 116 physicians this year, with 66% completing residencies or fellowships in primary care specialties. In 2026, the College of Medicine assumed sponsorship of nine additional GME programs in Tallahassee, Sarasota, Cape Coral, Pensacola and Jacksonville. The college now sponsors 32 programs training 516 physicians statewide, with more growth planned.

The university is applying the same long-term approach to nursing.

The College of Nursing recently expanded enrollment, admitting students three times each year and creating a year-round pipeline of graduates entering the workforce. More than 800 students are enrolled annually across the college’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

The college also is expanding its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to FSU Panama City, supported by a $10 million gift from Bruce and Tracey Berkowitz and the Fairholme Foundation. The historic gift will strengthen Northwest Florida’s nursing workforce by providing scholarship support to students from Bay, Walton and Gulf counties who plan to practice in the region.

“Florida’s nursing shortage demands innovative solutions,” said Jing Wang, dean of the FSU College of Nursing. “By expanding enrollment, creating new educational pathways and strengthening partnerships across the state, we’re preparing more nurses to provide high-quality, patient-centered care where they’re needed most. Our undergraduate expansion is just one element of our investment in the region; through pioneering efforts like our Smart Home Health Initiative, we are deepening our commitment to advance the health, well-being and future of these communities.”

Preparing the healthcare workforce requires more than educating physicians and nurses. It also depends on professionals working across disciplines to meet patients’ physical, mental and behavioral health needs.

Across the university, FSU is preparing future physician assistants, psychologists, social workers, dietitians, exercise scientists, rehabilitation specialists, public health professionals, health informatics specialists and healthcare administrators. These disciplines help meet growing needs in primary care, behavioral health, rehabilitation, chronic disease prevention and community health.

“Today’s healthcare challenges require teams of professionals with different expertise working together to improve the health of Florida’s communities,” said Damon Andrew, dean of the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. “Across FSU, we’re preparing graduates who understand how nutrition, exercise, behavioral health, human development, education and other factors intersect to shape lifelong health and well-being. Whether in schools, clinics, or community settings, our graduates play essential roles in improving health and quality of life for individuals and families.”

Together, these programs reflect FSU Health’s team-based approach to healthcare, recognizing that improving health outcomes depends on professionals across disciplines working together to care for patients and communities.

FSU also is expanding its work directly in rural communities. The College of Medicine recently was awarded more than $19 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program to launch six projects addressing rural health challenges including workforce development, behavioral health, preventive care, food insecurity, telehealth and at-home care. Two projects will focus on Northwest Florida, a central hub for FSU Health, while four will serve Southwest Florida.

Building the future of FSU Health

Preparing the healthcare workforce of the future is supported by major investments in clinical partnerships, research and patient care.

The FSU Health Research and Collaboration Building under construction on the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare campus will provide space for clinical research, laboratories and a family medicine residency clinic, creating new opportunities for education, patient care and scientific discovery.

FSU also is expanding its partnership with Tallahassee Memorial while continuing development of FSU Health Panama City Beach, where an outpatient medical office building is already serving patients and construction is underway on a new hospital.

“At the end of the day, success is about people,” Slaga said. “If more Floridians can receive the care they need closer to home because we educated the physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals who chose to build their careers here, then we’ve accomplished what FSU Health was created to do.”

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The FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic is now accepting registrations for a 12-week program beginning Aug. 26 designed to help individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes improve their health through sustainable lifestyle changes.

Developed by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), the Lifestyle Empowerment Approach for Diabetes Remission (LEADR) is a structured, group-based program that gives participants the knowledge, skills and support to improve blood sugar control and, for some individuals, achieve diabetes remission.

The curriculum focuses on addressing the root causes of type 2 diabetes through the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: a healthy eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connections and avoidance of risky substances. Rather than managing symptoms, the program empowers participants to make sustainable lifestyle changes that can improve blood sugar control and, for some individuals, support diabetes remission.

The program is offered at the FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, a clinical practice of the Florida State University College of Nursing, and the nation’s first college-based, nurse practitioner-led, lifestyle medicine clinic.

“One of the things I love most about the LEADR program is that it truly puts the patient in the driver’s seat of their own health,” said Kathleen P. Wilson, assistant dean of graduate programs for the FSU College of Nursing and provider at the FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. “Lifestyle medicine is built on shared decision making. We work alongside each participant to understand their goals and develop strategies using the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. Our role is to educate, encourage and guide, while empowering individuals to make choices that create meaningful, lasting improvements in their health.”

The principles of lifestyle medicine can benefit everyone, regardless of where they are in their health journey, Wilson said.

“While anyone can benefit from learning the foundations of healthy living, we’ve seen individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes experience remarkable long-term improvements through this program,” she said. “LEADR gives people the education, accountability and community support they need to make changes that can positively impact their health for years to come.”

As one of the few providers in the region offering the ACLM-developed LEADR curriculum, the FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic is helping expand access to evidence-based lifestyle medicine for residents of Tallahassee, Leon County and surrounding communities. The program reflects the clinic’s ongoing commitment to empowering individuals to prevent, manage and even reverse chronic disease through education, wellness and sustainable behavior change.

To help community members learn more before enrolling in the program, the clinic will host a free LEADR program preview on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. The informational session will provide an overview of the program, what participants can expect and how lifestyle medicine can help improve long-term health. There is no cost to attend the preview, but registration is required as space is limited.

The new LEADR cohort begins Wednesday, Aug. 26, and will meet Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. for 12 consecutive weeks at the FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, 1630 Riggins Rd., Tallahassee.

Individuals interested in attending the free preview event or registering for the August cohort are encouraged to complete the program interest form available on the clinic’s website.

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FSU Health is Florida State University’s integrated academic health system, bringing together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education, and innovation under a unified vision to improve the health of the communities we serve.

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Florida State University has been awarded more than $19 million in grants through the Rural Health Transformation Program to launch six new projects and provide resources to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities throughout the state. 

The five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, administered through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, was authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025. The program is designed to help states transform and update healthcare delivery by improving access, quality and outcomes, thereby strengthening rural communities.  

Florida received nearly $210 million this year and, through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), awarded more than $180 million to fund proposals across the state.  

“FSU received the largest award among Florida’s higher education institutions and was the state’s second-largest recipient overall,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This remarkable investment reflects the strength of our partnerships, the expertise of our faculty, and the important work being done through FSU Health and the College of Medicine to address healthcare challenges in communities across our state. These projects will expand access to care, strengthen local healthcare resources, and help deliver better outcomes for rural Floridians.” 

The FSU College of Medicine was uniquely positioned to apply for these grants, as its community-based, collaborative structure is focused on developing partnerships with a special emphasis on providing care to medically underserved patients throughout Florida.  Additionally, the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, part of the FSU College of Nursing and led by Professor Lisa Hightow-Weidman, had a long track record of working with patients in a variety of locations by pioneering digital health tools and systems that could help improve individual health outcomes. 

AHCA made collaboration a key requirement for the grant proposals, noting that partnerships should help expand reach, close gaps and make the most of shared resources. 

“Community partnerships are essential to building a healthier Florida,” said Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the FSU College of Medicine and president of the Florida Medical Association. “We know how important it is to bring healthcare directly into the communities that need it most. I saw that firsthand as a family physician in rural Gadsden County in Florida’s Panhandle, and in my work across the state, I continue to see gaps in care that we can help close. Rural Floridians deserve access to high-quality, compassionate care. Meaningful progress will take collaboration, innovation and a sustained commitment to the people we serve.”  

“FSU received the largest award among Florida’s higher education institutions and was the state’s second-largest recipient overall,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This remarkable investment reflects the strength of our partnerships, the expertise of our faculty, and the important work being done through FSU Health and the College of Medicine to address healthcare challenges in communities across our state.” 

FSU’s grant proposals focus on key rural health challenges, including food insecurity, behavioral health, preventive care, workforce development and telehealth. To guide planning and funding, AHCA identified Florida’s rural counties, as defined by state law, and grouped them into four regions: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. The FSU College of Medicine, in collaboration with the FSU College of Nursing and IDHI, developed proposals for the Northwest and Southwest regions, where it already has established programs and partnerships.  

The Northwest Region is a central hub for FSU Health, with a new FSU Health Hospital under construction in Panama City Beach and the FSU Health Research and Collaboration Building scheduled to open this fall on the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare campus. In Southwest Florida, the college operates its Immokalee Health Education Site and sponsors residency and fellowship programs at several hospitals. 

The two projects in Northwest Florida receiving funds will tackle food insecurity, preventive care and at-home care. Four new projects to launch in Southwest Florida will focus on workforce development, behavioral health, telehealth, food insecurity, preventive care and at-home care.  

“These projects reflect exactly why FSU Health was created: to bring together research, clinical expertise and community partnerships to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing Floridians,” said FSU Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson. “By focusing on rural communities, we can help turn discovery and innovation into practical solutions that expand access, improve outcomes and strengthen the health of people across the state.” 

Heather Flynn, professor and chair of the FSU College of Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, played a key role in shepherding the grant process along and assembling teams of researchers, healthcare providers and community organizations to develop solid plans that will have a direct impact on the health and lives of Floridians. No stranger to collaborative work, Flynn is also director of the FSU Center for Behavioral Health Integration.  

“One of the main things I learned through this process is that there are a lot of extremely dedicated, high-quality clinicians, staff and administrators in the rural areas that are doing everything they can to help the patients and families in their communities with a system that is not connected and one that needs a lot of improvement and innovation,” Flynn said. “You’ve got all of these different healthcare centers, sites, organizations — all doing the best they can with the resources they have — to provide access and quality care to patients and families — and they know they don’t have what they need to do that adequately. So, it’s very frustrating.  

“I learned people are very eager to partner,” Flynn added. “Of course, there are always business considerations that may pose some barriers to those partnerships, but what I learned is people are willing to look past that and work together to fill those gaps in rural areas.” 

Flynn said the work must move quickly: Sept. 30 is the federal deadline for demonstrating significant progress in launching the projects. 

“We could not make this happen without the support of the university as well as the faculty and staff who are working diligently to ensure we meet this deadline and begin to make a positive impact on the health of people across the state,” she said.  

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