Emily Loveland, LMSW
Emily’s current research interests address a human right to adequate food, specifically analyzing the federal government’s predominant policy response to hunger, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Inspired by over a decade working in public service, Emily seeks to explore the novel area of U.S. social welfare policy from a human rights lens. Using primarily qualitative approaches to research, Emily engages directly with communities to examine how the SNAP program administration, formerly known as food stamps, and interactions with government caseworkers influences a person’s decision whether or not to use government benefits. Her work seeks to explore, directly from the people who are impacted, what policy options would best serve those who experience food and/or economic insecurity. Emily believes that too often, policy responses are shaped by high-ranking elected officials and government bureaucrats, without any input from individuals who policies are intended to impact. Emily has used document analysis of SNAP federal regulations and in-depth semi-structured interviews with individuals who experience food and/or economic insecurity to highlight how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fails to provide a right to adequate food in the United States. She has received $11,250 in funding to support her dissertation research.
Emily’s area of research also focuses on LGBTQ+ youth and mental health. Similar to her work with food insecurity, this research works directly with LGBTQ+ youth communities, though affirmative-based mindfulness group work, aiming to reduce disparate experiences of poor mental health outcomes. Through grant-writing, program coordination, focus groups, and quantitative analysis, Emily has supported this research project in order to identify effective ways to improve LGBTQ+ youth outcomes. Emily’s contributions to this research have included total of $72,500 in funding for this important research.
In addition, Emily has a proven track record of scholarly publications, having published five peer-reviewed publications. She regularly attends social work and human rights conferences to disseminate her research.
MSW
University of Connecticut
Research Interests:
Food Insecurity and hunger
Social welfare policies
Social service delivery from a human rights lens
