Welcome to our two new faculty members, Dr. Kerry Lee and Rachel Speer, MSW, LCSW. They will be joining the GSSWSR faculty for Fall 2021. Take a peek at their bios below!
Dr. Kerry Lee’s research focuses on understanding the factors related to family violence among racial and ethnic minority and other marginalized populations, with a specific focus on the role of (1) trauma (i.e., adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)/child maltreatment), (2) substance abuse, and (3) mental illnesses. She has conducted research internationally and within the US using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designs. Dr. Lee received her PhD from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and MSW from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship under the mentorship of Drs. Brenda Jones Harden and Nathan Fox at the University of Maryland, College Park. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Lee managed a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded (PI: Nathan Fox) study that sought to examine the impact of early-life adversity (e.g., trauma, substance use, poverty, and other environmental factors) on children’s brain development and subsequent health, and cognitive, social, behavioral, and emotional outcomes for children and their families.
Rachel Speer received her MSW from the University of Denver in 2009 and obtained her License as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2011. She has worked in various clinical mental health settings and roles, including outpatient, school-based mental health, integrated care, telephonic services, intensive in-home services, emergency evaluation, and program management. She has taught foundation courses including Power, Privilege and Oppression, Child Development, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, and Advanced Standing Seminar. She has also taught elective courses, including Trauma Response and Recovery, Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, and Group Interventions. As a researcher, her goal is to disrupt the intergenerational effects of inequality and inequity for many marginalized communities, mindful of intersecting identities. Her research is organized around two areas of inquiry: (1) how experiences of oppression and trauma affect the mental health, physical health, and well-being of marginalized communities and their intersectional identities; and (2) how experiences of oppression and trauma connect to parenting behaviors and the intergenerational transmission of risk among these communities. As a mixed-methods researcher, Rachel is dedicated to using quantitative and qualitative methodology to understand people's lived experiences from marginalized communities.