Jennifer Middleton

Dr. Jennifer Middleton is an Associate Professor at the University of Louisville's Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, where she directs the UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative and serves as Director of Implementation for a SAMHSA-funded project addressing community violence, trauma, and inequities in Louisville.

She oversees multiple federally-funded research projects examining trauma-informed organizational change interventions within systems serving sex-trafficked populations and communities affected by violence. Her $5M SAMHSA grant focuses on addressing community violence in west and south Louisville, while Project STAAR explores lived experiences of child sex trafficking survivors through photovoice methods.

Dr. Middleton's research examines:

• Trauma-informed leadership in organizational contexts
• Implementation science in community violence interventions
• Life trajectories of sex trafficking survivors
• Cumulative impact of trauma work on professionals
• Policy impacts on vulnerable populations

Her work integrates participatory action research methods with clinical insights from her forensic practice.