Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

Elise Lopez (DrPH, MPH) is the inaugural director of the UA Consortium on Gender-Based Violence. She previously served as the assistant director of Relationship Violence Programs at the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health. She has worked in public health research and practice since 2004, specializing in restorative justice, adolescent health, substance abuse, trauma, and prevention of and response to sexual violence. Lopez received the 2007 Family and Community Evidence Based Practice Award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for her work on adolescent substance abuse treatment in under-resourced communities. In 2016, she was awarded the Abstract of the Year honor from the Law Section of the American Public Health Association for a co-authored paper on restorative justice responses to campus sexual misconduct. She has been an invited speaker on sexual violence prevention and response in local, national, and international venues, including being one of several invited international delegates to the Ontario Women’s Directorate 2015 Summit on Sexual Violence and Harassment. In 2017, Lopez served as one of two non-attorney liaisons to the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Task Force on College Due Process Rights and Victim Protections. She is particularly interested in community and situational level approaches to gender-based violence prevention, including modifying environments that facilitate perpetration of aggression in order to reduce opportunities for violence. Dr. Lopez's research projects related to violence and victimization include: a training program for bar staff to recognize and respond to sexual aggression perpetrated in bars in order to reduce sexual assaults; GIS mapping of density of alcohol-serving establishments and hot spots of police reports of physical and sexual violence; and testing sexual assault resistance strategies to prevent rape victimization on college campuses. Dr. Lopez also teaches a Family Violence course at undergraduate and graduate levels, and provides training to campus departments and community agencies on: ACES (adverse childhood experiences), sexual harassment, and supporting survivors. Dr. Lopez also spearheaded efforts on the UA campus to develop a confidential survivor advocacy program.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

Campus Sexual Assault, Dating Violence (Teen), Domestic and Family Violence, Drug-Related Victimization, Sexual Abuse or Violence (other than campus sexual assault), sexual harassment

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

LGBTQ victims, Arizona; AZ; college students; high school students

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

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

VICTIM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

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