Experts: Social Work

Amy L. Ai, Ph.D., MSW, MS, MA, is a Professor of Social Work/SW and is affiliated with the Colleges of Medicine and Nursing and Institute for Successful Longevity, Florida State University.

Dr. Ai earned three Masters and a joint Psychology-SW Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, followed by post-doctoral training(National Institutes of Health/NIH). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on physical and behavioral health, aging, health disparity, trauma, human strengths, and spirituality, leading to numerous first-author publications.

She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association of Psychological Science, and Gerontological Society of America; John A. Hartford Geriatric Faculty Scholar; Delegate/Representative of Academic Settings to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging; and Fulbright Scholar.

She is the PI/Co-PI of multiple projects, funded by Federal, State, and private foundations and is a Scientific Reviewer for national, international, and private funding agencies (e.g., Departments of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services, Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute, NIH, and major funders in Canada, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong-China).

She a recipient of the Outstanding Science Award(APA Trauma Psychology) and the Distinguished Health Psychology Award(IAAP). Her seminal tool book, “Assessing Spirituality in a Diversified World” (2020, peer-reviewed), is currently the only book on this topic, involving 40+ interdisciplinary scholars around the globe.

Fran Gomory is a teaching professor and has been director of the MSW program at the College of Social Work since 2015. Her areas of expertise in social work practice include group work, clinical practice, social work administration and women’s issues. She teaches courses in these areas both in-person and online.