Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û

Skip to main content

Cluster Lead:

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice & Social Work Bethany.Backes@ucf.edu

UCF’s Violence Against Women Cluster researchers work across the disciplines of education, social work, criminal justice, sociology and medicine to create knowledge to guide policymaking designed to reduce the experience and impact of violence toward women.

About 33 million women will experience violence in their lifetimes. In addition to physical, sexual, emotional injury and even death, the economic costs of violence against women in lost work productivity and healthcare services are as high as $12.6 billion in the United States.

Effectively impacting this social issue can save countless lives and billions of dollars.

Find out more about UCF’s Violence Against Women Cluster and watch this informative video .

To better understand the complexity of violence against women and create innovative responses that transcend any one discipline, the cluster studies it from an interdisciplinary approach that merges health, social welfare and social justice perspectives.

The cluster incorporates all of these fields to better understand violence against women and provide insight into preventing it. To support this vital program, please visit the .

In The News


Research
New Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Project Works to Help Keep Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Safe
The goal is to create a screening tool that can be used by student health services and beyond, including in college athletic training settings or…
Colleges & Campus
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Reach for the Stars 2023 Honorees Are Unleashing the Potential of People, Ideas
The researchers are working to improve how we respond to survivors of violence, promote positive healthcare, explore space, advance computing and enrich cultural understanding.
Colleges & Campus
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Podcast: Championing Against Violence
Bethany Backes, an assistant professor in the Violence Against Women faculty cluster who worked for the Department of Justice for more than 10 years, shares what…

Explore the News Archive

Violence Against Women (VAW) Research

Projects


Publications

  • , , Anna Wasim, Ph.D., Matthew Stephenson, Ph.D., Leila Wood, Ph.D., Victims & Offenders 18(6), 1148-1165: Jul, 2022
  • , , Morgan E. PettyJohn, Ph.D., Elizabeth Baumler, Ph.D., Barbie Brashear, Ph.D., Jeff R. Temple, Ph.D., Leila Wood, Ph.D., Journal of Family Violence 1-13: Oct, 2023
  • , , Lisa Growette Bostaph, Ph.D., Bonnie S. Fisher, Ph.D., Arelys Madero Hernandez, Ph.D., Shameika Daye, Ph.D., Journal of Criminal Justice Education: Oct, 2022
  • , , Arelys Madero Hernandez, Ph.D., Lisa Growette Bostaph, Ph.D., Bonnie S. Fisher, Ph.D., Journal of Criminal Justice Education 32(3), 302-322: Aug, 2021
  • , , Bonnie S. Fisher, Ph.D., Pamela Wilcox, Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Behavior 50(9), 1380-1404: Jun, 2023
  • , , Michele Jean-Gilles, Ph.D., Rhonda Rosenberg, Ph.D., Robert L. Cook, Ph.D., Amanda Ichite, Ph.D., Pilar Martin, Ph.D., Jessy G. Dévieux, Ph.D., Journal of Interpersonal Violence: Mar, 2021
  • , , Kathryn J. Spearman, Ph.D., Jennifer L. Ross, Ph.D., Emily Blackburn, Ph.D., Jill T. Messing, Ph.D., Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Ph.D., Millan A. AbiNader, Ph.D., Kevin J. Grimm, Ph.D., Homicide Studies 27(4), 472-492: Jul, 2023
  • , , Sandra R. Levitsky, Ph.D., Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Ph.D., Kamaria B. Porter, Ph.D., Violence Against Women 0(0): Aug, 2023
  • , , Leah C. Butler, Ph.D., Brian Gildea, Ph.D., Bonnie S. Fisher, Ph.D., Victims & Offenders 18(1), 77-100: Jan, 2023
  • , , Jennifer Attonito, Ph.D., Shelley Fontal, Ph.D., American Journal of Public Health 111(3), 359-362: Mar, 2021
  • , , Roselyn Peterson, Ph.D., Robert D. Dvorak, Ph.D., Melissa A. Lewis, Ph.D., Journal of Affective Disorders 283, 363-372: Mar, 2021
  • , , Jennifer Attonito, Ph.D., Michele Jean-Gilles, Ph.D., Rhonda Rosenberg, Ph.D., Mariana Sanchez, Ph.D., & Jessy Devieux, Ph.D., Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 29(7), 788-801: Oct, 2021
  • , , , Lakaysia Smith, Assad Khan, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 0(0): May, 2023
  • , , Kyle T. Ganson, Ph.D., Shelleta Ladonice, Ph.D., Iris Cardenas, Ph.D., Journal of Interpersonal Violence 38(7-8), 6017-6037: Oct, 2022
  • “Evaluating the Impact of Policy and Programming on Female-Victim Intimate Partner Homicide at the County Level in Florida”, , Julio Montanez, Ph.D., Amy Donley, Ph.D., Violence Against Women 29(2), 253-275: May, 2022
  • , , Kayla Toohy, Ph.D., Ciara Peebles, Ph.D., Jason Ford, Ph.D., Violence Against Women 29(11), 2147-2169: Sep, 2021
  • , , Danielle Chiaramonte, Ph.D., David Angus Clark, Ph.D., Howard Tennen, Ph.D., Tami P Sullivan, Ph.D., Prevention Science 24(7):1327-1339: May, 2023
  • , , Tami P Sullivan, Ph.D., Violence and Victims 34(3), 508-521: Jun, 2021
  • , , Tiffany L. Marcantonio, Ph.D., Karen E. Nielsen, Ph.D., Michelle Haikalis, Ph.D., Ruschelle M. Leone, Ph.D., Elizabeth C. Neilson, Ph.D., Anne Marie Schipani-McLaughlin, Ph.D., The Journal of Sex Research 1-12: Sep, 2023

Violence Against Women (VAW) Degree Programs

UCF offers multiple degree programs for students interested in courses related to preventing violence against women. For more programs, search Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û programs below.

Violence Against Women (VAW) Faculty