Kristie A. Thomas, PhD, MSW has extensive practice, teaching, and research expertise in the anti-violence field. Her work is focused on developing community-informed solutions to improve outcomes for people affected by intimate partner violence (IPV) – particularly those who are economically and socially marginalized. She recently completed a study funded by the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network that explores the role of Responsible Fatherhood Groups in IPV prevention and intervention. Dr. Thomas serves as the lead evaluator for a variety of projects, including SASH (Survivors Achieving Stable Housing), an innovative pilot project for homeless and unstably housed IPV survivors. In addition to a robust portfolio of peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Thomas has authored online trainings and toolkits on IPV that are used widely by researchers and practitioners across the country, and she is a past recipient of the National Institute of Health’s Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program. Dr. Thomas teaches across the MSW and PhD programs and was awarded the Provost Award for Student-Centeredness in Graduate Teaching at Simmons University in 2017 and the Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award by the American Evaluation Association in 2019. Dr. Thomas was selected from a national pool of applicants to direct the MSW program at the Simmons School of Social Work starting July 2020.

“I had a truly exceptional experience as a student in the MSW and PhD programs at the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2). I exited the PhD program feeling completely prepared to succeed in the many roles of a tenure track faculty member (e.g., researcher, educator, and leader) due to the top-notch training provided by the SP2 faculty. Perhaps most important was the level of mentorship I received from the doctoral faculty, especially my dissertation chair Dr. Sorenson, which I desperately needed as a first-generation college graduate. In addition, because both of the programs attract such talented students, I learned from and leaned on my peers – many of whom remain close colleagues and collaborators. I can honestly say that the knowledge and skills I learned at SP2 continue to inform my scholarship, teaching, and community engagement on a daily basis.”