Projects

Here at PIN, our projects intentionally align with our mission to promote the health and well-being of youth by conducting research offering training, and engaging with youth, families, schools and communities.

GatorConnect

Gator Connect aims to address the shortage in school-based mental health professionals by providing financial, personal, and professional support to trainees. Students from the University of Florida’s School Psychology, School Counseling, and Mental Health Counseling Graduate programs will provide services to help address the unmet mental health needs among youth in Alachua County Schools.

Principal Investigator: Joni Splett, Ph.D., (University of Florida)

Co-Investigators: Sara Jean Phillipe, Ph.D., Mercedes Machado, Ph.D., Lee Purvis, Ph.D., Sondra Smith, Ph.D., Melanie Sonsteng-Person, Ph.D., and Katie Trainor, Ph.D.

Thrive

Project Thrive to implementation strategies for universal mental health screening to help schools better all students mental health needs. Specifically, Thrive aims to identify ways to (1) increase African American/Black youth’s engagement with school-based mental health resources and (2) decrease their involvement in school disciplinary practices.

Principal Investigator: Joni Splett, Ph.D., (University of Florida)

Co-Investigator: Colleen Halliday, Ph.D. (Medical University of South Carolina)

Florida Connect

Florida Connect uses the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) to integrate schools’ extant Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with School Mental Health (SMH) infrastructure. By doing so, the project aims to enhance the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning of all youth, including those with and at-risk for disabilities.

Principal Investigator: Heather George, Ph.D., (University of South Florida)

Co-Investigator: Joni Williams Splett, Ph.D., (University of Florida)

CyberSpill

CyberSpill assesses how social media and other forms of online engagement facilitate the real-time development of multiple mental health outcomes among adolescents, including depression, substance use, self-harm, and wellbeing. We do so via a combination of active ecological momentary assessment and passive monitoring of adolescents’ naturalistic smartphone use.

Principal Investigators: Joni Williams Splett, Ph.D., Sarah Lynne, Ph.D, and Joy Gabrielli, Ph.D. (University of Florida)

HOPE

Project HOPE (School Mental Health Opportunities for Practice and Exposure) aims to address the critical shortage of mental health professionals in high-need schools by cultivating interest and skills among high school students, particularly from underserved communities. Our ultimate goal is to increase the pipeline of mental health professionals working in schools and improve mental health outcomes for students in Florida communities.

Principal Investigators: Joni Williams Splett, Ph.D., and Melissa Mariani, Ph.D. (University of Florida)

Co-Investigators: Kira Alqueza, Heidi Parsons, and Alyssa Holmquist

Reading For Resiliency

Reading for Resiliency (R4R) is a collaborative initiative between the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) and the PIN Center that integrates resilience-building instruction into early literacy lessons. Using existing decodable texts, R4R helps young learners strengthen core reading skills while developing key traits like self-awareness, social problem-solving, and relationship skills.

Principal Investigators: Megan Worth, Ph.D., and Joni Williams Splett, Ph.D. (University of Florida)

Co-Investigators: Holly Lane, Ph.D., Valentina Contesse, Ph.D., and Colleen Pollett, Ed.D.

BUILD

Building Understanding of Identifying Learning Disabilities (Project BUILD). This project examines identification of and academic outcomes for students with learning disabilities, with a focus on student characteristics, effective instructional and intervention services, and identification practices. The goal of this project is to identify factors influencing whether students are identified with learning disabilities and the academic outcomes of students identified.

Principal Investigator: Jeremy Miciak Ph.D. (University of Houston)

Co-Principal Investigators: Katie Maki, Ph.D., Matthew Burns, Ph.D. (University of Florida), Pat Taylor, Ph.D. (University of Houston)

Project Brilliance

Project Brilliance is examining the effects of reading intervention and the incorporation of reading strategies in performing arts programming on reading, creativity, and leadership outcomes for students who may be twice exceptional (have a learning disability and be gifted). The project aims to improve reading outcomes for students with reading difficulties and examine alternative methods of identifying students who may be twice exceptional.

Principal Investigator: Lisa Rubenstein, Ph.D. (Ball State University)

Co-Principal Investigators: Katie Maki, Ph.D. (University of Florida), Lisa Smith, Ph.D. (University of San Diego)

Project Integrate

Project Integrate prepares five doctoral scholars to implement and disseminate evidence-based practices using the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF), with the goal of improving behavioral and mental health outcomes for students with disabilities. Scholars receive intensive training, mentorship, and hands-on research experience focused on integrating school-wide positive behavior supports and mental health services.