Kimberly Lema

Kimberly Lema serves as a Research Professor at the Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) at the University of New Hampshire, where she leads critical research on youth victimization, violence prevention, and trauma responses. Her work spans multiple interdisciplinary domains connecting psychology, public health, and criminology.

Dr. Lema's research focuses on adolescent health and safety, with particular expertise in digital sexual violence, polyvictimization, cyberbullying, and structural determinants of health. Her work examines how social contexts influence mental health outcomes among vulnerable youth populations, with special attention to sexual and gender minority youth. She investigates both risk factors and resilience mechanisms that affect youth exposed to various forms of violence and trauma.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on integrated approaches to violence research, recognizing the overlap between different forms of victimization. Her work increasingly examines structural determinants of health and how social contexts shape mental health outcomes. A significant portion of her recent research addresses image-based sexual abuse, bystander intervention strategies, and the mental health impacts on both victims and professionals working with child sexual abuse cases.

Dr. Lema currently leads multiple federally funded research projects, including a major NIH study Understanding Bystanders for Self-Directed Violence Prevention: A Prospective National Study Highlighting Marginalized Youth and Young Adults (2021-2026), along with several Department of Justice-funded projects examining child sexual exploitation, hate crimes, and youth firearm violence. Her research portfolio demonstrates sustained external funding and significant contributions to evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies.

She is actively involved in evaluating prevention programs, including the Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Curriculum and Love146's child trafficking prevention program. Her work with the CCRC positions her at the forefront of research translating into practical applications for child protection and youth safety.