Florida Mental Health Institute

February 2008: Dean, Junius Gonzales, M.D., M.B.A.

"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." Emily Dickinson

The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute has brought in nearly $2.7 million more than this time last year. To date, our external funding is at nearly $23.5 million and currently continues to lead all Academic Affairs units and, across all of USF, is only exceeded by the College of Medicine. We have also increased our Federal funding by over 26%. And, we still have five more months to this fiscal year!

Second, note the following Guiding Principle for Budget Reductions provided by President Genshaft:

Protect, as high priority, the faculty’s research and innovation activities to serve regional, state, national and global constituents.

Your extraordinary work is "high priority", much appreciated and has laid a wonderful and strong foundation for our legislatively mandated Institute for research and training. We are well positioned to continue to make significant contributions to realizing USF’s Strategic Plan on the recent budget implementation principles: centrality; excellence and impact; demand by constituent stakeholders; and, viability and sustainability.

Many exciting things have happened over the last few months and these are just a few:

FMHI's Major Role in the Florida Supreme Court Report: Transforming Florida's Mental Health System
FMHI's National Implementation Research Network's award of one million dollars a year for five years from the Office of Special Education (OSEP) to establish a new Center to help states increase their capacity to effectively use evidence-based programs in education.
CFS' DARES Drs. Lise Fox and Glen Dunlap's new US Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) award of $3.5 million for 5 years to establish a center to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of young children with or at risk of delays or disabilities.
First Patent Ever Submitted by FMHI Faculty : Drs. William Kearns and James Fozard of the Department of Aging and Mental Health at the have submitted a patent for a technology to safely guide and return a person with dementia who has wandered from their residence.
A new "Getting Grants" Series launched last semester and continuing through the year.

More events are on the way. FMHI is launching its Distinguished Lectures of Insight, Innovation and Impact to bring in exceptional national experts and the Series will be inaugurated on March 25-26 with Dr. Lisa Cooper – a luminary in health disparities research and recent recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" grant.

The Institute’s work plays so many critical roles in informing practice, education and policy decision making. The work of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute does indeed improve the lives of, not only Floridians, but all people who suffer from behavioral health conditions and their loved ones.