Carol M. Lewis, Ph.D.

Associate Director, CSWR

Dr. Carol M. Lewis is the Associate Director of the Center for Social Work Research (CSWR) and also the Departmental Review Chair for research proposals involving the use of human participants.  She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1995 and then coordinated a number of research projects at CSWR before filling the position of Associate Director.

Dr. Lewis’s research primarily focuses on interventions that facilitate planned families. She believes that helping young adults be intentional about when to have children is prevention on a large scale and has the potential to reduce child abuse, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, family violence, poverty, and more.

Over the past decade, Dr. Lewis has been involved in research and program evaluation for Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects awarded from the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs, a division of the US Office of Populations Affairs.  Most recently, she conducted a 5-year assessment of an intensive case management program for low-income adolescent parents administered in collaboration between a medical clinic and three community-based social service agencies.

Outside of UT, Dr. Lewis serves on the Board of the Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company, the sponsor of New Arts Kinnections (NAK), an outreach movement program.  NAK is based at The Settlement Home in Austin, a treatment facility for emotionally disturbed foster girls and adolescents. NAK provides a therapeutic experience by focusing on each participant’s creative and movement capabilities.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Professional Interests

Research administration; adolescent pregnancy prevention; intensive case management for adolescent parents; reproductive health; research design; program evaluation.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
• M.A., University of Texas at Austin
• B.A., Southern Methodist University

Faculty Research

• Assessment of Intensive Case Management Models for Pregnant and Parenting Teens
• Austin Learning Academy’s Adolescent Family Life Care: A Program Evaluation (2007)
• Parent-Child Connectedness and Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention: Supplemental Program Evaluation (2007)
• Interpersonal Violence and Adolescent Mothers: The Role of Personal Relationships in Student Success (2005)
• Teen Mentoring Initiative Evaluation (2004)
• Adolescent Family Life Care Evaluation (2003)
• Community Relations/Cultural Awareness Assessment of the University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD) (2003)
• Evaluation of Protecting You, Protecting Me Alcohol Prevention Curriculum (2002)
• Evaluation of Expect Respect: A Domestic Violence Prevention Project for Elementary School Students (2000)
• Spanish Translation of Sexual Assault Survivor Booklet for National Distribution (2000)
• Evaluation of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1998)