Meet Our Team

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Karla Shockley McCarthy, LMSW, FSW, PhD Student

Karla Shockley McCarthy is a doctoral candidate and graduate research associate in the College of Social Work. Her research focuses on risk and protective factors for family and child well-being, specifically relationships and belongingness, in the context of academic, child welfare, and financial systems. Karla’s work includes investigating ways to promote educators’ and child welfare workers’ occupational well-being and resilience. She has experience in education as a school social worker and educator, teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels, and as a Nurtured Heart Approach Advanced Trainer. Google Scholar Profile

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Natasha Bowen, PhD

Dr. Natasha Bowen is a professor at the Ohio State University College of Social Work. Her scholarship focuses on schools and how they can best support students from all cultural and economic backgrounds. As a social worker, she has prioritized social and racial justice in her work. She has experience and expertise in all aspects of school-based research and practice. She also has extensive statistical and methodological expertise, including qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and intervention studies.

Central to Dr. Bowen’s work are two freely available online social environmental and well-being assessments, one for elementary students and one for secondary students. The School Success Profile (SSP) and Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) provide school staff with an understanding of students’ experiences in their neighborhoods, school, peer systems, and family, as well as their physical and psychological well-being. She also has created short online surveys for teachers and students about racial justice in general and in discipline practices at their schools. Armed with social environmental information, school staff better understand the factors that cause behavior and academic performance outcomes, which currently are the primary targets of data collection in schools. Google Scholar Profile

 

Kisha Radliff, PhD 

Dr. Kisha Radliff

Dr. Kisha Radliff is an Associate Professor in School Psychology at the College of Education and Human Ecology Program at The Ohio State University and served as the Chair of the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs 2020-2021. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio, teaches mental health courses, and supervises practicum courses. Her research and scholarship center around mental health (e.g., bullying, school-based mental health) and social justice in school psychology training. Google Scholar Profile

 

Bridget Freisthler, PhD

Dr. Bridget Freisthler is a professor and Associate Dean of Research at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. Her work focuses on how health and social issues vary across geographic locations, identifying the locations that are at risk and examining the effect of local services in those areas. She is particularly interested in the relationship between sites of substance distribution (e.g., liquor stores and medical marijuana dispensaries) and harmful situations including crime and child maltreatment. Her work is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, and private donors. Google Scholar Profile

 

Tami Augustine, PhD

Picture of Tami Augustine

Dr. Tami Augustine is a Clinical Associate Professor of Social Studies and Middle Childhood Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Before coming to Ohio State, Tami worked as a teacher and administrator in private and public schools. She received her PhD in Social Studies and Global Education from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on social studies teacher education,  technology use in education, global education, and contemplative practices in teaching and learning. Tami also serves as the Director of Teacher Education for the Columbus campus in the Department of Teaching and Learning. She coordinates and oversees the eight teacher licensure programs, as well as the Child and Youth Studies program in the Department of Teaching and Learning.

 

Claudia Banke, BSW & BA Student

Claudia Banke

Claudia Banke is an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, studying Social Work and Political Science. She is interested in school social work and promoting equitable education in the US public school system. She has a specific interest in studying the intersection of social work practice and public policy.