Samantha Lawrence, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Professor

Samantha E. Lawrence is an assistant research professor at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and the Research and Evaluation Director and co-Principal Investigator for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood – UConn School of Social Work Partnership.

Her research interests include families, schools, and communities as contexts for healthy child development; mental and behavioral health among LGBTQ+ youth and youth with other marginalized social positions; experiences and health correlates of stigma and other minority stressors among children; and identifying points for prevention/intervention.

Dr. Lawrence’s work examines social influences on children’s health, behavior, and well-being—particularly in school, child care, and family contexts. Her current research includes evaluations of federal and state-funded early childhood initiatives, child services policies, and the early education system to ensure equitable access to high-quality resources for families, as well as mixed methods research on experiences and health outcomes among LGBTQ+ youth.

Prior to joining the UConn School of Social Work, Dr. Lawrence was a research fellow at the University of Minnesota Medical School in the Department of Pediatrics, where she led quantitative and qualitative research efforts to identify disparities among youth at the intersections of sexual orientation, gender identity, and race/ethnicity in emotional distress, disordered eating, sexual and HIV-prevention behaviors, experiences of bias-based bullying, interpersonal protective factors, and numerous additional health concerns and experiences.

Dr. Lawrence earned her Ph.D. in human development and family sciences, MA in human development and family sciences, and BA in psychology and human development and family sciences, all from the University of Connecticut.

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