Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

I am a Professor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Social Work. I hold a Master of Social Work degree and a PhD in Social Welfare (minor in Educational Psychology). I am also a licensed independent clinical social worker. My current leadership role in the School of Social Work is Director of Research. For the past 15 years, my research has been focused on interpersonal violence among children, youth, and adults occurring in home and community environments. I focus on multiple types of violence, including child maltreatment (physical, sexual, and psychological abuse; neglect), adult intimate partner violence (IPV; physical, sexual, and psychological), children’s exposure to IPV and maltreatment, and peer and youth violence. My scholarship centers on the co-occurrence of types of violence; risk factors for specific types of violence; outcomes associated with unique and multiple types of violence; help-seeking strategies; and improving healthcare, civil legal, and therapeutic interventions to reduce the effects of violence. The ultimate goal of my scholarship is to influence service delivery and improve the well-being of children, adults, and families who experience violence. I have successfully demonstrated the ability to conduct multi-year projects and I have served as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on studies funded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Women’s Health, and US Department of Agriculture, which involved various quantitative and qualitative data collection efforts. I have several prior and ongoing evaluations with community-based programs that include therapy groups for children exposed to IPV, a parenting group for women who experience IPV, and a specialized domestic violence court. I bring methodological skills and expertise to any project team, including skills in quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research, a track-record of research focused on interpersonal violence and intervention work, and a practice background focused on violence and mental health. I engage in community-based participatory research and have many successful partnerships with state and local organizations. I have been well-trained to conduct data analyses and to disseminate scholarly work through peer-reviewed journals. I have conducted descriptive and longitudinal studies utilizing primary data collection efforts (e.g., surveys, interviews) and secondary datasets (e.g., hospital records, court data, school attendance records, child protective services reports). I have expertise in study design and collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, which has been valuable for developing, evaluating and translating interventions.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

American Indian and Alaska Native (tribal) victims, Child victims, Rural victims

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Community-based participatory research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quantitative studies, Quasi-experimental studies

VICTIM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE