Background
Monica Adams is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work. Her research is guided by over 25 years of direct social work practice with disenfranchised populations. Her broad research interest is health disparities with a more specific focus on food insecurity as a social determinant of health. Dr. Adams examines the links between socioenvironmental risk factors like food insecurity and poor health outcomes among people with low-income backgrounds. She is interested in studying how limited access to resources influences decision making around health behaviors. Dr. Adams aims to use this information to advance our understanding of the role of public policies as both an inhibitor and promoter of health disparities, and to create opportunities to develop strength-based interventions tailored to the specific needs of vulnerable populations (e.g., women with children in the home, racialized minorities, and low-income populations). Dr. Adams is an Emerging Poverty Scholar affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty.
Education
- PhD, University of Louisville
- MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University
- BSW, West Virginia University
Research Interests
- Poverty
- Health disparities
- Socio-political determinants of health
- Social safety net programs
- Food justice