Julia O’Connor, PhD, MSW, MPH, is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Social Work and a member of the Violence Against Women faculty cluster with a secondary appointment in the College of Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences. Julia’s research interests stem from a professional career with survivors of sexual and domestic violence. In the course of this career, she held various positions, including case manager and women’s advocate in numerous organizations and as a felony-level legal advocate. Additionally, she has extensive experience designing, implementing, and analyzing data on interpersonal violence. Julia’s research interests focus on violence against women namely primary prevention – stopping violent behaviors before they occur – including exploring attitudes and beliefs related to perpetrating violence against women as well as bystander interventions. Other research areas include understanding institutional measures, indicators, and responses to violence; marginalized populations experiences of violence; and understanding the impact of violence on survivors. Julia has served in AmeriCorps (Kent County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, WA, 2001-2002), the Peace Corps (Uganda, 2004-2006), and Peace Corps Response (Guyana, 2013-2014).
Credentials
- Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Social Work, Rutgers University
- MSW, Master of Social Work, University of Maryland Baltimore
- MPH, Master of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- BA, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Kenyon College
Affiliations
- Society for Social Work and Research
- Violence Against Women Cluster
- College of Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences
Areas of Specialty
- Violence Against Women
- Primary Prevention
- Campus Sexual Violence
- Perpetration
- Evaluation Research
- International Social Work
- HIV/AIDS
- Reproductive Health
SOW 5305: Social Work Practice I: Generalist Practice
SOW6109: Violence Against Women: Global Perspectives
SOW5404: Social Work Research
Addressing Violence Against Women: A Q&A with UCF’s Julia O’Connor
Julia O’Connor discusses her research aimed at making a difference in interpersonal violence against women. As part of Women’s History Month, the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs honors...
Social Work Faculty, Students and Alumni Present at Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference
On January 12-16, teams of UCF School of Social Work faculty, students, alumni and other social work professionals will be presenting at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)...
Genius Foundation Awards $300,000 To UCF Interdisciplinary Health Research
Eight interdisciplinary faculty research projects — on health topics including pain management, improving provider-patient communication, and intimate partner violence — have received about $300,000 in grant funding through a new...
MSW Fellowship Students Share Their Research
The UCF School of Social Work MSW Traditional Track awarded six new first-year graduate level students with a $10,000 fellowship to assist them with tuition, fees, and other expenses for academic year...
UCF Study Will Look at Transitional Housing Effectiveness for Survivors of Domestic Violence
Housing programs can serve as a lifeline for domestic violence survivors and their children – providing them with vital resources to leave abusive relationships and find safety. Various housing models...
UCF School of Social Work Awards Seed Grants for Interdisciplinary Research
The UCF School of Social Work is committed to providing essential and unique research to health and mental health fields through the school’s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Training...