Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Houston
About
Dr. Samira Ali holds a PhD in social welfare from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. As a social work activist researcher, Dr. Ali’s research centers those that live on the margins and focuses on the ways in which socio-cultural-political factor shape the sexual and mental wellness of individuals and communities nationally as well as in India. Dr. Ali values community-based research and thus, researches with communities and community-based organizations. Thus, along with communities, she is interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating community-led structural interventions centered on sexual and mental health. Recently, she was awarded a grant to start a Center focused on building capacity with community-based HIV service organizations in the Southern United States to provide better wellness, mental health, and harm reduction oriented services. Dr. Ali grounds her activism and research in feminist theory, intersectionality, and social and racial justice.
Current Work:
Dr. Ali’s scholarship focuses on understanding the ways in which social, political, organizational, environmental physical and community factors shape the sexual health and well-being of individuals. She has worked on programs that aim to change the perception of sexual health, mental health and HIV on university campuses and in community-based organizations.
Currently, she serves as the center director of the SUSTAIN COMPASS Coordinating Center that focuses on working with organizations to enhance their capacity around wellness, mental health and harm reduction. Overall, her scholarship focuses on understanding the ways in which factors that are outside of the individual shape the the wellbeing of the individual, including access sexual health care.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Sexual health HIV prevention and care, community-based participatory research, implementation science, mixed methods
