Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

Leila Wood, PhD, LMSW is a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. Dr. Wood has three degrees (BSW, MSSW and PhD) in Social Work. She is a co-investigator on the Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments (CLASE) project at the University of Texas System schools ( https://utsystem.edu/sites/clase/clase ). Her scholarship areas are intimate and interpersonal violence in the campus context, intimate partner violence and sexual assault service evaluation, and occupational stress related to interpersonal violence work. Wood's research focuses on survivor-centered approaches and establishing evidence for community and campus-based practices in the intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) field, including housing programs. Over the last several years, she has conducted IPV and SA service program evaluations in close collaboration with community agencies, and conducted research on the extent and impact of sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and sexual harassment on college campuses. Wood is mixed methods researcher, with emphasis on program evaluation and qualitative methods. Wood has extensive experience working survivors of intimate and interpersonal violence in social work practice settings. She has worked as sexual assault and dating violence prevention educator in middle and high schools; advocate for and with adolescent survivors and child witnesses; counselor; and director of a regional crisis line and hospital accompaniment program. Her practice history frames her approach to research on intimate partner violence and sexual assault. She currently serves on the Rutgers National Institute on Justice Violence against Women Consortium and provides evaluation support to local and statewide non-profits focused on gender-based violence.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

Campus Sexual Assault, Dating Violence (Teen), Domestic and Family Violence, Sexual Abuse or Violence (other than campus sexual assault), Vicarious Trauma

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

LGBTQ victims, Immigrants and refugees, Rural victims

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Action research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Needs assessment, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quasi-experimental studies, Training and/or technical assistance

VICTIM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

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