Dr. Lara Gerassi Receives “Influential Scholar Award”

During an online ceremony last week, Assistant Professor Lara Gerassi was recognized with the Influential Scholar Award at the International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference. The conference convenes “researchers, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience in an effort to lay the groundwork for future collaborative research, advocacy, and program development.” The conference is associated with the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS). Earlier this year, Dr. Gerassi was appointed to the Executive Committee of GAHTS.

Watch Dr. Gerassi’s acceptance speech

Dr. Gerassi’s research aims to enhance the wellbeing of people who are involved in the sex trade, including those who have been sex trafficked, and is strongly informed by her clinical experiences with survivors of intimate partner violence and sex trafficking. Her research interests include: Gender-based violence; Sex trafficking; Social work practice; and Anti-oppressive practice.