Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

Kathryn Collins, MSW, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at UMSSW and Co-Principal Investigator of the Family Informed Trauma Treatment Center (SAMHSA NCTSN CAT II). The focus of her academic career centers on social justice, disparities in access to trauma based mental health services, and developing trauma focused family based social work interventions for vulnerable and oppressed populations such as minority children, women, and families surviving poverty and chronic violence. Her commitment to the field is long standing with over 15 years of community based clinical social work practice with children and families who have been diagnosed with PTSD and other disorders. She has numerous publications and has been the PI or Co-PI on state and nationally funded research. She earned an extramural research award in the NIH, National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program for her research focusing on children from minority communities. Recently, she implemented Trauma Education Connections Initiative (TECI) in the UMSSW and earned the Dean's Teaching Award for its implementation. She was responsible for the coordination, development and piloting of Trauma Adapted Family Connections (TA-FC), including developing the family and youth partnership group of TA-FC. She trained child welfare workers in Maryland on the NCTSN Trauma Informed Child Welfare Toolkit. Further, she brings her research scholarship, practice and life experience to the classroom where she has received several teaching awards.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

Bullying, Burglary, Child Abuse and Sexual Abuse, Domestic and Family Violence, Drug-Related Victimization, Gun Violence, Hate and Bias Crimes, Homicide Survivors/Co-victims, Physical Assault (other than domestic violence or elder abuse), Robbery, Sexual Abuse or Violence (other than campus sexual assault), Terrorism and Mass Violence, Vicarious Trauma, Childhood Neglect

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Child victims, Victims with disabilities, LGBTQ victims, Limited English proficiency victims, Men and boys of color, Military personnel victims, Older victims, Immigrants and refugees, Urban high crime neighborhood victims

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

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