Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

After working for years in HIV/AIDS as a clinical social worker, instructor, and policy advisor, I earned my doctoral degree in Social Welfare from the University of Washington in June 2018. I moved to Minnesota in August 2018, and am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota Medical School in the Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health. I am an intersectional feminist researcher studying gender socialization and its relationship to health outcomes, specifically how masculinity is learned, constructed, and performed, and the health and well-being outcomes that are associated with that socialization. Historically, this has focused on traditional masculinity and violence related outcomes across the social ecology (from interpsychic to policy level implications). My current projects include a examination of cis men and trans masculine individuals’ experiences of bisexuality in emerging adulthood and an analysis of the relationship between peer perceptions of teen cis boys gender expression and their violence-related behaviors. As a feminist social worker, I am committed to troubling the structures of power in various spaces, including academic ones. I am devoted to individuals’ and communities’ capacity to self-determine and use my skills, training, privilege, life experiences, and access to institutional resources to collaborate with others to promote flourishing individuals and communities. I am also committed to science communication and translation and regularly engage in public scholarly activities including current community/campus partnerships promoting comprehensive sexuality education and gender and sexuality equity. Along those same lines, I am an actor with a women-driven comedy company. I am a member of the City of Minneapolis Transgender Equity Council. As well, I love to teach, facilitate and mentor and have taught in higher education and community settings for over 15 years, including as a “master teacher” supporting instructors in using contemplative and narrative practices in social-justice oriented classrooms (such as social work, public health, and pediatric medicine). I also teach adaptive yoga with youth and adults with disabilities. I recently adopted a sweet, senior dachshund named Willie and together with Willie’s former owner, caring community members, and recreation therapists, we started a senior dog meet-up group at Willie’s former owners’ assisted living facility.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

Bullying, Campus Sexual Assault, Other Campus Crime, Dating Violence (Teen), Domestic and Family Violence, Hate and Bias Crimes, Sexual Abuse or Violence (other than campus sexual assault), Stalking, Vicarious Trauma

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Child victims, LGBTQ victims, Male victims generally, MN

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Action research, Community-based participatory research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Needs assessment, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quantitative studies, Training and/or technical assistance

VICTIM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Action research, Community-based participatory research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Ethnography, Needs assessment, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quantitative studies, Randomized controlled trial, Training and/or technical assistance