Understanding the Prevalence of Mental Health and Behavioral Distress in Transit Assaults and Presenting Targeted Response and Mitigation Methods to Reduce Victimization Trends

Kathleen Moore, PhD
Dr. Moore is the Executive Director at USF Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI). She also serves as a Research Professor in the Department of Mental Health, Law, and Policy and was the lead project advisor on this MCEEST research project. She received her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Kent State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. For the past 22 years, she has collaborated with community-based agencies on numerous projects at the local, state, and national level on various grants and contracts focusing on substance use and mental health co-occurring disorders. Her focus is on program evaluation centering on both quantitative and qualitative methodology, bridging the gap between research and practice. Dr. Moore has been Co-PI on numerous NIH-related grants and has been PI on over 12 SAMHSA grant projects within drug court and treatment agencies. These grant-related projects have resulted in peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and professional presentations at local, statewide, and national meetings. She has a demonstrated record of collaborating with academic colleagues, students, practitioners, and policymakers, generating high-quality peer-reviewed research and scholarship. Additionally, as the Executive Director of FMHI, Dr. Moore provides leadership for statewide research and training initiatives related to behavioral health and providing leadership for strategic planning to identify future priorities.

Emilie Ellenberg, MA
Emilie Ellenberg is a current doctoral candidate in USF’s College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Ph.D. program. She is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL-MH13313). Her primary research interests are exploring the mental health needs of adults with autoimmune diseases. Specifically, in the impact of perceived diagnostic overshadowing on behaviors that promote and deter mental health service provision, integrated medical and mental health care, and appropriate and specified mental health screening of adults with autoimmune diseases.
Emilie has worked in many roles within the Tampa Bay community mental health field including state hospital diversion, forensic mental health, and child welfare. Emilie has worked as an adjunct faculty instructor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy since August 2020. Currently, she operates a small private practice, provides qualified supervision for registered Florida mental health counseling interns, and works as a graduate research associate under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Moore on many community-based projects including mixed methods program evaluation.

Melissa Carlson, BS
Melissa Carlson is a Research Project Manager in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida (USF). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Healthcare with a focus on Adult Community Sciences from USF and is currently pursuing a Master of Research Administration at the University of Central Florida. With over a decade of experience, Ms. Carlson has partnered with principal investigators in behavioral health, addressing complex challenges related to substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders to support adults, children, and families in need within the Tampa Bay community. She has contributed to over 25 grant-funded projects and contracts as a research project manager, leading to numerous peer-reviewed publications, technical evaluation reports, and conference presentations across local, state, and national levels.

Jodi Godfrey, MSCE
Jodi Godfrey has been a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Urban TransportationResearch (CUTR) at USF for 12 years, where she works in the Transit Safety and Workforce Development Program group. Ms. Godfrey received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from USF. Jodi is the faculty advisor of the USF ITE Student Chapter, the co-chair of the International Women in ITE Committee, the secretary of the Transportation Research Board's Standing Committee on Transit Safety and Security (AP080), and a member of the TRB Women and Gender in Transportation Committee (AME20). Ms. Godfrey also serves as the vice chair of the American Public Transportation Association Bus Safety Committee. Jodi is passionate about safety, improving diversity in the transportation industry, and fighting to end human trafficking.

Lisa Staes, MSM
Ms. Lisa Staes is CUTR’s associate director and was the project manager of this MCEEST project. She was appointed by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg to the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS) and serves as its vice chair; is the chair of TRB’s Standing Committee on Transit Safety and Security (AP080); Advisory Board Member of Elsevier’s Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives Journal; and former chair of APTA’s Bus Safety Committee. She is currently conducting an additional transit assault research project—FTA's Transit Worker and Rider Safety research project. She was also CUTR’s project manager for FTA’s Transit Standards Development Research and is now a consultant for APTA managing FTA’s current Transit Standards Development Program. She also serves as the project manager for FTA’s Safety Research Demonstration Evaluation programs, where she is actively involved in transit research and stakeholder involvement activities. She was the lead consultant on TCRP Synthesis SA-38 – Successful Practices and Training Initiatives to Reduce Transit Bus Accidents and Incidents at Transit Agencies, TCRP Synthesis SA-45 – Onboard Technologies to Prevent Transit Bus Incidents, and TCRP F-27 – Characteristics and Elements of Non-Punitive Employee Safety Reporting for Public Transportation. Sample research topics include transit assaults, collision/crash energy management for transit buses, mitigations for rail trespassing and suicides, fitness for duty/fatigue risk management, simulator training and its impact on transit safety, training and certificate programs and elements of success, and other topics.