Reeve Kennedy

Dr. Reeve Kennedy serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work within the College of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University. Her academic home is situated in the Rivers Building on campus, where she contributes to the education of future social work professionals while maintaining an active research agenda focused on critical child welfare issues.

Dr. Kennedy's educational background reflects interdisciplinary training across multiple fields relevant to her research:

• B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College
• M.A. in Sociology from University of New Hampshire
• M.S.W. in Social Work from University of New Hampshire
• Ph.D. in Sociology from University of New Hampshire
• Postdoctoral training in Sociology and Criminology from The Pennsylvania State University

Her research program centers on child well-being with particular emphasis on bullying involvement patterns, child maltreatment dynamics, and foster care outcomes. Dr. Kennedy employs sophisticated meta-analytic techniques to examine trends over time and across populations, with growing attention to racial disparities in child welfare systems. Her recent work has explored the intersection of childhood trauma with bullying victimization, the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of child protection interventions, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cyberbullying patterns.

Analysis of Dr. Kennedy's publication record reveals a consistent focus on evidence synthesis through meta-analysis and meta-regression, with increasing attention to racial and gender disparities in child welfare outcomes. Her work spans multiple high-impact journals across psychology, criminology, social work, and pediatrics, demonstrating interdisciplinary relevance. Recent publications show growing emphasis on foster care systems, juvenile justice processing of foster youth, and the mental health consequences of childhood trauma.

Dr. Kennedy's scholarly contributions have been recognized through several prestigious awards:

• NIH Early Career Reviewer Training Program (National Institutes of Health, 2023)
• AASWSW Mentoring Program (American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, 2023)
• Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Wellbeing (Doris Duke Foundation, 2017)

Her research impact extends beyond academia, with her work being referenced in policy sources, picked up by multiple news outlets, and shared across social media platforms. Dr. Kennedy currently leads externally funded research examining bullying in Pitt County Middle Schools and serves as investigator on two major North Carolina Policy Collaboratory projects addressing foster care system challenges. Her professional service includes committee work focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the Child Well-Being Research Network.