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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Florida State University’s doctoral program in kinesiology has earned the No. 1 spot in the National Academy of Kinesiology’s (NAK) 2026 rankings. 

Housed in the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College), the kinesiology program, which explores human movement and physical activity, rose from No. 3 in the 2023 rankings. 

Released every three years, the evaluation examined data from 2023 through 2025 across 39 participating universities. The rankings evaluate total research expenditures, faculty productivity and research impact, faculty leadership roles in the field, doctoral student support, student research productivity, graduate employment outcomes and the number of NAK Fellows on the faculty.   

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as the nation’s top kinesiology doctoral program,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “This ranking reflects the outstanding work of our faculty and students and the culture of excellence that defines our program. Together, they are advancing research, shaping the future of the field and strengthening the FSU Health initiative through leadership in the field of kinesiology.” 

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as the nation’s top kinesiology doctoral program. This ranking reflects the outstanding work of our faculty and students and the culture of excellence that defines our program. Together, they are advancing research, shaping the future of the field and strengthening the FSU Health initiative through leadership in the field of kinesiology.” 

– Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College

FSU Health is 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. The initiative is a long-term investment in Florida’s health infrastructure and economy.  

The ranking is the first No. 1 ranking for an FSU Health-associated program since its launch in 2022. 

Additional findings from the NAK’s evaluation highlighted the program’s strength in student success and research productivity. 

FSU ranked in the 100th percentile nationally for doctoral student publications, students receiving full financial support, graduates securing tenure-track faculty positions and faculty-authored books.  

The evaluation also placed FSU among the nation’s leaders in graduates earning postdoctoral positions, invited keynote presentations and faculty research productivity. During the reporting period, FSU kinesiology doctoral students produced 105 journal articles, while 14 graduates secured tenure-track faculty positions. Kinesiology faculty produced 336 journal articles and secured more than $21.6 million in federal research funding. 

“This recognition reflects the strength of the people who make our program exceptional,” Andrew added. “Our faculty attract talented students who want to work alongside leaders in the field, and those students go on to make meaningful contributions through their research, scholarship and professional success. That cycle continues to strengthen our program.” 

“This recognition reflects the strength of the people who make our program exceptional,” Andrew added. “Our faculty attract talented students who want to work alongside leaders in the field, and those students go on to make meaningful contributions through their research, scholarship and professional success. That cycle continues to strengthen our program.”

Anne’s College is home to world-renowned faculty in fields spanning athletic training, athletic coaching, exercise physiology, sports nutrition and dietetics, sport sciences, sport management and sport psychology. The college is also home to leading research centers and institutes, such as the FSU Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine. 

For more information about Anne’s College and its academic programs, visit annescollege.fsu.edu. 

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Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) have finalized core agreements establishing the long-term framework for FSU Health, an integrated academic health system focused on improving health and expanding access to advanced care and research across North Florida and beyond.  

These agreements include lease and operating agreements and other definitive legal documents, including an academic and clinical framework supporting the partnership at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and the future FSU Health hospital in Panama City Beach. 

“Today marks a defining step forward in our shared vision to build an academic health system that will serve our community and our state for generations to come,” FSU President Richard McCullough said. “Through FSU Health, with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital as its clinical anchor, Florida State University is bringing together the people, expertise and resources needed to improve lives, expand access to advanced care and create new opportunities for medical education and research across North Florida and beyond.”  

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Inc. will serve as a cornerstone of FSU Health, bringing trusted expertise in community-based care, an extensive network of physicians and advanced practice providers, and leading specialty and advanced-care services. 

“For nearly 80 years, TMH has grown alongside this community, always looking for new ways to bring better care closer to home,” said Mark O’Bryant, chief executive officer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. “Our work with FSU, including the academic medical center strategy we developed together in 2021, has created an opportunity to build on that legacy in ways we could not achieve alone. Our patients, physicians, advanced practice providers and colleagues can expect the same commitment to exceptional, compassionate care, strengthened by new opportunities to advance medicine, educate future healthcare professionals and bring more specialized care and innovation closer to home.” 

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Inc. will continue managing day-to-day operations under the FSU Health brand at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the future Panama City Beach hospital, TMH’s other clinical care locations and its employed physician network, TMH Physician Partners. Patients will continue receiving care from their established physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses and team members, while benefiting from the added strengths and capabilities of a Top 25 public research university. 

The agreements build on an academic health center strategic alignment plan that started in 2021 and the transfer of city-owned hospital assets to FSU earlier this year and establish the long-term governance, operational and academic framework supporting the continued growth of FSU Health across North Florida and the Panhandle. They also preserve TMH’s existing charity care policy at both hospitals and establish a new governance structure that gives FSU the ability to nominate candidates for boards in Tallahassee and Panama City Beach.  

As the region’s only academic health system, FSU Health will connect patients with leading physicians, advanced treatments, clinical research and specialized services while training the next generation of healthcare professionals. Future plans for FSU Health in Tallahassee include developing new graduate medical education programs in high-demand specialties such as trauma surgery, minimally invasive and bariatric surgery and pulmonary and critical care medicine. 

Patients and the community can learn more about the partnership at TMH.ORG/FSUHealth.  

About FSU Health
FSU Health is Florida State University’s integrated academic health system, uniting hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education, and innovation under a unified vision to improve health across communities we serve. With hospitals in Tallahassee and Panama City Beach operated by Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, FSU Health connects trusted community care with the academic, research, and training strengths of Florida State University. FSU will open a new 140,000-square-foot FSU Health Research and Collaboration Building on the Tallahassee Memorial campus in Fall 2026. Together, we are building a nationally recognized destination for patient care, education, research, and innovation.  

About Florida State University
One of the nation’s top public research universities, Florida State University serves more than 46,000 students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 120 countries. Located in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, FSU offers nearly 270 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, including medicine and law, taught by exceptional faculty who are leaders in their fields. Whether they are Pulitzer Prize winners, Guggenheim Fellows or members of the National Academies, FSU faculty inspire students to reach their full potential with unparalleled opportunities in the arts, sciences and humanities. FSU’s unwavering commitment to student success produces some of the highest retention and graduation rates in the nation. Florida State’s welcoming campus is the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state and home to a growing research enterprise, the world-class National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, celebrated fine and performing arts programs, an entrepreneurial spirit and championship athletics teams.  

About Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
Founded in 1948, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is a private, nonprofit healthcare system serving North Florida and South Georgia that is becoming FSU Health through its partnership with Florida State University. TMH includes a 772-bed acute care hospital in Tallahassee, a new hospital under development in Panama City Beach, a psychiatric hospital, multiple specialty care centers, five residency programs and more than 50 affiliated physician practices. As the clinical anchor of FSU Health, TMH is helping bring together advanced patient care, medical education, research and innovation to improve health across the region. For more information, visit TMH.ORG. 

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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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People taking popular GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound may face stigma from those closest to them, according to a new study by a Florida State University professor.

Braidyn Lazenby, an assistant professor at FSU’s College of Communication & Information, led the study “‘They Call Us Cheaters:” Exploring Stigma Management Communication Strategies During GLP-1 Medication Use.’” The findings were published last week in Health Communication.

Lazenby and her fellow researchers conducted open-ended, one-on-one interviews with 34 adults who were taking GLP-1 medications for weight management, metabolic disorders and other health conditions. Researchers used the reflexive thematic analysis method to identify recurring patterns in participants’ experiences.

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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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He displays his love for teaching and his students on his office door and walls, reaffirms his dedication to life-changing research in his steady stream of awards and wears his commitment to his job and university literally on his sleeve. 

Riley Krotz leaves no doubt that he cherishes his work at Florida State University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Business. 

“I love this college and university,” he says. “The students, staff and faculty I interact with every day give me joy and make my heart full.” 

Krotz, an assistant professor and a Dr. Persis E. Rockwood Emerging Scholar in the Wertheim College’s Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing, stands among the most recognized and decorated junior faculty members at FSU.  

Start with his custom-made FSU suit, which he proudly sports in his Wertheim College profile photo. His LinkedIn photo shows him in the same suit holding Grandpa, a small, frail and toothless dog he adopted and nursed for nine years until his pet’s passing early this year.  

For the background on his suit, which he now considers vintage after FSU’s new branding two years ago, Krotz recalls 2023 when he became an assistant professor at the Rockwood School. Michael Brady, the school’s director at the time and now an FSU assistant provost, impressed upon Krotz and other faculty members the importance of visibility in upholding the FSU brand.  

Krotz promptly visited a tailor and ordered a suit that flaunted, from shoulders to ankles, “FSU” and the Seminole athletics logo. A couple of weeks later, he showed up at a departmental meeting, oozing garnet, gold and gaudiness. 

Brady looked at him, his mouth agape. 

“You told me to be visible,” Krotz said to Brady with a smile. “I’m visible.” 

You bet he is. Less than five years after receiving his doctorate, Krotz made history early this year when he received the American Marketing Association’s Marketing and Society Special Interest Group Emerging Scholar Award. He thereby became the first scholar to receive AMA emerging or young-scholar awards in four different special-interest groups. He previously received AMA awards for retail and pricing, doctoral students and organizational frontlines. 

“Riley’s achievements in scholarship, teaching and service exemplify the high standard of excellence we strive for in our faculty,” said Michael D. Hartline, dean of the Wertheim College. “We applaud his dedication, enthusiasm, intellectual energy and commitment to our college, especially our students.” 

Hartline added with a smile: “And we love his FSU suit.” 

Krotz primarily studies complex challenges at the intersection of healthcare, frontline employee management and public policy, with an emphasis on getting people to donate blood and save lives. Recent studies include “Saving Lives in the Social Media Era: Increasing Blood Donations,” the title of his keynote presentation during a conference of the Association for Blood Donor Professionals. 

Krotz’s focus aligns with his conviction that the role of marketing extends beyond helping businesses thrive. 

“There’s a movement in the marketing discipline: better marketing for a better world,” Krotz says. “And I feel my research aligns with that.” 

“There’s a movement in the marketing discipline: better marketing for a better world. And I feel my research aligns with that.” 

– Riley Krotz, assistant professor and a Dr. Persis E. Rockwood Emerging Scholar

His work also aligns with, as Hartline emphasizes, the Wertheim College’s ever-growing partnership with FSU Health, an integrated health system that now includes Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and brings together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of the communities the university serves, including rural and other underserved areas. Krotz’s efforts to increase blood donations earned him a commendation from the U.S. Senate in 2023 and the Advancement in Healthcare Access Award from a major blood center in the Southeastern U.S. in 2024. 

“I don’t know how I got so lucky to land at a place where my research interests are so fundamentally aligned with the mission of the college,” he says. “This college and university are such a perfect fit for me.” 

Colleagues salute him for his lively personality, his passion for his work, his devotion to his students and his students’ esteem for him. 

That sentiment started a decade ago when he taught sixth-grade science and middle-school robotics in his hometown of Jacksonville. He’d do anything to make learning fun and interesting. He’d tell a corny joke. He’d express his love for Starbucks. He’d jump on a table and sing. To emphasize the musculoskeletal system, he once even conducted an arm-wrestling competition in class. 

Krotz, a first-generation college student who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Florida, simultaneously yearned to make a difference as a university professor. He earned a Master of Business Administration from UNF and got accepted into the University of Tennessee’s marketing program, both in 2016 while he was still teaching middle school. He told his students of his decision to leave his teaching job so that he could study to become a university marketing professor, prompting dozens of admiring and entertaining hand-written “thank you” and “goodbye” notes and drawings from his young students.  

Today those notes and drawings, one of which portrays Krotz as the siren in the Starbucks logo, cover the door and walls of his office at the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. 

Wrote Keily: “You manage to make us learn and have fun at the same time. … You’re gonna kill it as a professor.” 

Keily knew. Krotz, who earned his doctorate in 2021, received the Wertheim College’s Charles Hardwick Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award last year, two years after joining the faculty. 

Like his students, he credits and celebrates his mentors. Those include Stephanie Noble, a University of Tennessee business professor who advised him on his dissertation, and Greg Gundlach, a University of North Florida marketing professor who urged him to get his Ph.D.  

Of course, he still enjoys helping students build confidence, think critically and find new and entertaining ways to stay engaged and solve problems. In one ice-breaking exercise at the beginning of each semester, he asks a student to fetch a student outside the classroom, come back inside and together sing the nursery rhyme “I’m a Little Teapot.”  

“Riley’s name is consistently one of the first names students mention when talking about faculty who have impacted them,” said Luke Hopkins, a senior lecturer and assistant director of the Rockwood School of Marketing. “Students know he cares about them, and his ability to create an environment where students genuinely enjoy learning is rare.” Ruby Lee, the school’s director and Bob Sasser Professor of Marketing, hailed Krotz’s dedication “to everything and everyone in need.” 

In his marketing research classes, Krotz teaches students to use research offensively and defensively — offensively to make smarter business decisions and defensively to become more-informed consumers. 

Peyton Naylor, a senior majoring in marketing and real estate, largely credits Krotz for his goal to pursue a doctorate in marketing. Naylor recalls emailing Krotz on a Friday afternoon about information on the Ph.D. program. Krotz replied shortly thereafter with a comprehensive response and an offer to host a Zoom conversation that evening. They met on the first day of the following week and talked for 45 minutes. 

“His honesty, transparency and willingness to help have made the process a lot easier than I expected,” said Naylor, a former long snapper on FSU’s football team. 

Krotz’s influence extends to students’ families. After Krotz announced the passing of Grandpa, his dog and class mascot of sorts, Naylor asked his mother, art hobbyist Christy Naylor, to draw a portrait of the pet for his teacher. Using graphite pencils, she created a real-life rendering of the dog wearing an elegant bow, licking his glistening nose and looking lovingly at his beholder. Hanging from the dog’s collar is a tag that includes only one tender word: “Grandpa.” 

“I cried,” Krotz said, referring to his reaction to the drawing. “It was so meaningful.” 

About Krotz, Naylor added: “I consider him a ‘must-meet’ individual on FSU’s campus. The university is a better place because of him.” 

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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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Moving quickly to implement a top strategic priority, the Herbert Wertheim College of Business at Florida State University has announced the official launch of its Business of Healthcare Initiative.

In alignment with FSU Health, the initiative applies the college’s world-class strengths in research, teaching and industry engagement to address the Florida healthcare sector’s complex operational challenges arising from an aging population, rising costs and escalating prevalence of long-term chronic conditions, among other factors.

Michael D. Hartline, dean of the college, emphasized the initiative’s three prongs, which he said aim to bolster healthcare knowledge, business partnerships and, importantly, student employment and success:

• Scholarly research, led by Patricia H. Born, Ph.D., the college’s new Herbert Wertheim Chair in Health Systems Operations.
• Industry engagement, led by Patricia Kenney, Doctor of Nursing Practice, the college’s new Herbert Wertheim Chair in Healthcare Workforce Leadership.
• Industry programming, led by Caroline Poole, MPA, the college’s director of business development and strategic partnerships.

“The Herbert Wertheim College of Business is uniquely prepared to address the growing demands of healthcare, and these three individuals are exceptionally equipped to lead this pivotal initiative,” Hartline said. “We embrace this extraordinary opportunity to elevate our scholarly impact, strengthen our regional industry footprint and shape the future of healthcare in Northwest Florida and beyond.”

The Business of Healthcare Initiative continues the Wertheim College’s growing emphasis on including healthcare in its programming and curriculum. That includes the Business of Healthcare Summit, launched in 2024, and a recently launched Online Master of Business Administration with a Major in Healthcare Administration, plus several graduate specializations in healthcare.

The new initiative stems from a commitment by Dr. Herbert Wertheim, whose recent $65 million philanthropic investment named the college and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence and, among other things, earmarked endowed funds for the new faculty posts, including those of Born and Kenney. Dr. Wertheim, a billionaire optometrist, inventor, businessman, philanthropist and the founder and president of Brain Power Inc., said he made the extraordinary investment in part to advance innovation in healthcare.

“Dr. Wertheim’s vision is exactly what the healthcare industry and our communities need, and I think training FSU business students to fill the gaps in the healthcare business workforce is essential,” Kenney said.

“Dr. Wertheim’s vision is exactly what the healthcare industry and our communities need, and I think training FSU business students to fill the gaps in the healthcare business workforce is essential.” 

– Patricia Kenney, Herbert Wertheim Chair in Healthcare Workforce Leadership.

Underscoring expertise from across the college, Born added that the initiative “gives us an opportunity to move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, tackle some of the most consequential questions facing healthcare and generate research that can improve both the performance of the healthcare system and the lives of the people it serves.”

The project aligns with FSU Health, an integrated system that now includes Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and brings together hospitals, physicians, clinics, research, education and innovation to improve the health of the communities the university serves, including rural and other underserved areas. The university-wide effort comes amid healthcare workforce shortages, a rapidly aging population and proliferation of AI. The university’s initiative includes establishing an academic health system and, in partnership with TMH, constructing new facilities in Tallahassee and Panama City Beach.

Here are details on the three prongs of the initiative:

Scholarly research

This segment, led by Born, focuses on academic collaboration among the Wertheim College, other FSU colleges, and health-focused schools and colleges Dr. Wertheim has named in Florida and California.

Hartline emphasized Born’s background as “a high-impact” scholar whose “profound expertise in health economics and managed-care finance aligns with the chair’s mission to drive continuous improvement within healthcare systems.”

Born said the Wertheim College has identified about two dozen faculty members across all business disciplines who conduct empirical research, publish peer-reviewed studies or maintain advanced educational specializations in health or healthcare-related fields. She said she’s embarking on conversations with those faculty members about their plans for additional health-related research and “how they’d like to participate in this initiative.”

Born said the college’s research examines how business decisions, market forces, technology, regulation and organizational practices shape the cost, access, quality, sustainability and delivery of healthcare “while also addressing the financial and human challenges facing healthcare organizations and their workforces.”

She added: “I am excited to learn from one another, identify new opportunities for collaboration, and build on our collective strengths to realize our full potential.”

Industry engagement

This segment, led by Kenney, who has spent 12 years as executive director at TMH, builds connections with the regional healthcare industry and cultivates partnerships to support faculty research and secure sponsorships, grants and philanthropic investments. Also, it will establish career pathways for Wertheim College students, particularly those in its various graduate healthcare majors and specializations. This includes internships, project collaborations and job placements.

Hartline hailed Kenney, whose academic background includes an MBA in Healthcare Administration and a master’s degree in nursing/family nurse practitioner, for her “extensive blend of executive healthcare experience, academic engagement and specialized leadership training.”

At TMH, she has overseen the Office of Nursing Engagement and the Office of Patient Experience.

Kenney said she embraces her role as a “strategic liaison and regional healthcare representative” who will “help to identify, develop and coordinate any avenues that we can use for collaboration among the Wertheim College, FSU Health and other organizations to support the mission of the Business of Healthcare Initiative.”

Ultimately, she added, “we want to create mutually beneficial connections to serve and provide for the healthcare needs of our communities.”

Industry programming

This component, led by Poole, emphasizes industry conferences, forums and summits to build “a dynamic bridge,” as Hartline calls it, connecting the college to senior executives, policymakers, pioneering researchers and students.

Hartline credited Poole for her work to help elevate the annual Business of Healthcare Summit as “the marquee event to position the college as a premier intellectual hub and a catalyst for industry-wide solutions.”

Poole said she aims to establish additional events that attract physicians and other healthcare providers who increasingly seek to embrace the business side of the industry.

“It’s important for healthcare professionals to understand the operations and the pitfalls, including the organizational challenges, of running a healthcare institution and making everything run smoothly,” she said.

She noted that healthcare innovation stood as a focus of the recent Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Community Conference at Amelia Island, Florida. FSU Health served as the presenting sponsor.

Poole added, referring to Hartline’s emphasis on the Business of Healthcare Initiative: “I’m excited that the college has jumped in with both feet to lead this effort for the betterment of our faculty, staff, students and communities in North Florida and beyond.”

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The phenomenon of transforming a college dorm room into a personalized living space has flooded social media, creating a flourishing market driven by fervent online communities. Behind the viral #DormTok trend lies masked benefits and consequences that go beyond remaking an Instagram-worthy room.

In a 2023 study published in “Anxiety, Stress, & Coping,” research showed students whose dorm rooms were less aligned with their ideal vision of a living space reported more depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower overall well-being. The closer a student’s living space matches their desired environment, the better their mental health outcomes tended to be.

Florida State University’s Stephanie Sickler, an associate professor at the FSU School of Design, centers her work on student success in design education and beyond. According to Sickler, personalizing living spaces on campus have both positive and negative consequences for mental and emotional health.

“Personalization of space creates a supportive environment that can be restorative in times of need and activating in times of growth,” Sickler said. “Students benefit when their private spaces are enhanced even in small ways. However, elaborate decorative dorm room appointments can quickly become weaponized as a delineator of perceived worth and value among campus housing residents when the disparity between individual spaces is as vast as the examples being promoted in the media.”

Sickler adds that students may take great pride in portraying a strong personal self-image in how they appoint their space. However, social media can contribute to them feeling like they cannot keep up with the aesthetics required for perceived acceptance, creating a lack of self-esteem.

Sickler, a recent inductee into the Council of Fellows of the Interior Design Educators Council, says research shows that redesigned living spaces can still be correlated to student success because of important predictors like having a campus community to identify with and living at least one year in campus housing.

“Students electing to live on campus are already ahead of their peers as it pertains to their chance for student success,” Sickler added. “Possessions are an important component to protecting one’s sense of self — an aspect students are building afresh with their start to college. Studies have shown that students’ well-being is positively influenced by their ability to personalize their private spaces with possessions that have value to them.”

Media interested in understanding how dorm room redesigns affect student mental health may reach out to FSU School of Design Associate Professor Stephanie Sickler via email at ssickler@fsu.edu.

Stephanie Sickler, associate professor, Florida State University School of Design

What are some of the most impactful design shifts — from a standard university dorm room to a customized living space — that you notice often in these dorm room makeovers? How can these redesigns benefit students?

“Standard campus housing provides furniture for students and a standard window covering such as mini blinds. Students only need to bring bedding, clothing and personal belongings to be able to move into their room. Highly customized spaces now include features such as upholstered headboards, window treatments, custom bedding, rugs and specialized furniture items such as upholstered ottomans and convertible chairs. These items, while beautiful, are luxury items used in private residences. Including them in a dorm room may make certain students feel more at home, if they have such features in their family home, but at the same time creates a false sense of what the world may be like when they graduate.”

“Custom soft goods vary greatly in cost, and since many are only used in the dorm for one year before students move to off campus housing or another residence hall, the expense is high for such a temporary housing scenario. That said, the soft headboard may make it more comfortable for a user to sit and study or watch tv in bed. Window treatments may offer better light control and sound insulation. Soft furniture may make it more comfortable to gather with friends in the room.”

“Some proponents of the trend have posited that students will no longer be using their dorm rooms for the live-work-sleep scenario as before, which seems a waste of the curated features. If the goal is to personalize the space to the point that the student feels they are back at home, it doesn’t make sense to never spend any time in the luxury space that was curated.”

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