Social Worker, Educator, Researcher

I earned my bachelor degree in human development from Boston College and my master degree in social work at Virginia Commonwealth University, after which I worked for two years as a clinical social worker in a women’s prison and a group foster home. Eager to address the brokenness of the criminal justice system through research, I returned to VCU and earned my doctoral degree in 2018. I am deeply committed to teaching and have served as an adjunct instructor in both the BSW and MSW programs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Whether I'm teaching a course in human behavior, social justice, or research methods, I consistently engage students in dynamic learning experiences which help them develop a critical perspective and acquire essential knowledge and skills for competent, reflexive social work practice. As a social work scholar, I conduct research across methodologies to illuminate the unique experiences of incarcerated women, aiming to improve the responsiveness of mental health programs in correctional settings. My dissertation research used secondary data analysis to investigate the relationship between incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health needs and service utilization during incarceration. To learn more about my teaching and scholarship, use the navigation bar at the top of the page.