معرفی
Elizabeth McLaughlin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Gallaudet University's Civic Leadership, Business and Social Change school. She specializes in human trafficking prevention, child welfare systems, and clinical practice with deaf and disabled populations. Her work emphasizes cultural competency, trauma-informed care, and systemic advocacy for marginalized communities.
She holds a doctoral degree from The Catholic University of America and maintains active licensure as a clinical social worker in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Her research focuses on intersections between disability, criminal justice, and exploitation, with notable contributions to trafficking prevention frameworks for deaf youth and crisis response protocols for vulnerable populations.
Dr. McLaughlin has advised over 120 MSW students since 2017, maintaining a 100% field placement success rate. She leads multiple grants including the $200k "Deaf Adults Trafficked as Children" study and the OJJDP-funded Child Protection Specialized Training program. Her work appears in journals like Journal of Human Trafficking and Child Welfare, with frequent invitations for expert testimony before state legislative committees.
Her community engagement includes roles as:
- Board Member, HEAL Trafficking Network
- Advisory Board Member, Disability Without Abuse Project
- Consultant, Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign
- Trainer for 18 state-level human trafficking task forces
Current initiatives include developing a national curriculum for Deaf community trafficking awareness and leading a multidisciplinary study on yoga therapy efficacy for trafficking survivors.