Faculty and Staff Profiles

Brenda Mathias Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the University of Memphis School of Social Work. Grounded in Black feminist epistemology and intersectional theory, her research applies mixed-methods and community-based participatory approaches to understand how urban adolescent’s bi-directional engagement with neighborhood institutions shapes subjective psychological well-being. Dr Mathias’ scholarship also seeks to reduce social injustice by strengthening university-community partnerships to fill capacity gaps in local nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining the University of Memphis, Dr. Mathias served as a post doctoral scholar at the Case Western Reserve University Social Justice Institute. Dr. Mathias has managed several randomized controlled trials evaluating youth summer jobs in Philadelphia, engaged community-led revitalization efforts in Cleveland, Ohio, and led service coordination in urban public high schools. 

Dr. Mathias holds a BSW with a double major in psychology from Temple University, an MSW with a minor in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare with a minor in Global Metropolitan Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.  

• Ph.D. Social Welfare - University of California, Berkeley - 2023
• MSW   - Case Western Reserve University - 2014
• BSW   - Temple University - 2013

• Assistant Professor, School of Social Work - University of Memphis - 2024-present
• Postdoctoral Scholar, Social Justice Institute - Case Western Reserve University - 2023-2024
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Social Work - Temple University - 2023-2024
• Lecturer, School of Social Work - San Jose State University - 2021-2022

• PhD/Early Career Paper Award - People, Place, and Policy Conference - 2021
• Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award - University of California, Berkeley - 2020

• SWRK 7026: Program and Policy Evaluation in Social Work, Graduate - University of Memphis
• SWRK 7022: Organizations and Communities, Graduate - University of Memphis
• SJUS 100: Introduction to Social Justice, Undergraduate - Case Western Reserve University
• SSWU 4407: Evaluating Programs and Practice, Undergraduate - Temple University
• SSWU 4396: Introduction to Social Research, Undergraduate - Temple University
• SW 114: Practice in Social Work, Undergraduate - University of California, Berkeley
• SW 282B: Seminar in Social Research II, Graduate - University of California, Berkeley
• SW 282A: Seminar in Social Research I, Graduate - University of California, Berkeley
• SW 110: Social Work as a Profession, Undergraduate - University of California, Berkeley
• SW 251: Program Development in Context, Graduate - University of California, Berkeley
• ScWrk 298B: Special Projects, MSW Research Capstone course, Graduate - San Jose State University
• ScWrk 298A: Special Projects, MSW Research Capstone course, Graduate - San Jose State University

• DSW (committee chair) - Kaylee Fischer - 2027 (expected)

• Chow, J., Vu, C., Mathias, B., & Reisch, M. Safety Net Programs and Services for Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Immigrant Families in the U.S. In Social policy and Social Justice (4th ed). San Diego, CA: Cognella Press.

• Early, A., Kemper, L., Lentz, T., Mathias, B., Pryor, K., Vogel, M. (2023). Cure Violence Evaluation Final Report. Institute for Public Health, Washington University. Retrieved from https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/violence-prevention/documents/cure-violence-final-report-july-2023.cfm

• Mathias, B. (2022). Neighborhood institutions and well-being: Youth Perspectives from East Oakland. UC Berkeley: Institute for the Study of Societal Issues. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/67q8x620

• Vogel, M., McCuddy, T., Renzy, M., Mathias, B. (2024). Assessing the acute effects of exposure to community violence among adolescents: A strategic comparison approach. Accepted to Social Science Research, April 17, 2024.

• Flynn, K., Mathias, B., Yousuf-Abramson, S., Gottlieb, A. (2024). “They gotta beat us”: A qualitative investigation of multiple forms of violence and police contact among urban young adults. Children and Youth Services Review.

• Guan, A., Cruz, T., Sowell, J., Mathias, B., Shah, A., Hassberg, A., Shariff-Macro, S., Akom, A., DeRouen, M. (2023). Combining mixed methods and community-based participatory research approaches to identify neighborhood-level needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Mixed Methods Studies.

• Gottlieb, A., D’Angelo, K., Mathias, B., Flynn, K. (2023). Police contact, collective efficacy, and grit among youth in urban areas. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

• Guan, A., Cruz, T., Sowell, J., Mathias, B., Hassberg, A.H., Shariff-Marco, S., Akom, A., DeRouen, M., (2023). Dignified resources and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of racially and economically marginalized communities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

• Mathias, B., & Hill., D. (2023). Neighborhood institutions and wellbeing: Youth Perspectives from East Oakland. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

• Flynn, K., & Mathias, B. (2023). “ How am I supposed to act?”: Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to understand the developmental impacts of multiple forms of violence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584231159674

• Mathias, B., Magee, K., Jackson., R., Graham., P., Madsen, K. (2022). Building bridges and strengthening bonds: An exploratory investigation into social capital and youth programming. Accepted December 2, 2022 to Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action.

• Gottlieb, A., Mathias, B., Berry, M., & Flynn, K, Wilson, R. (2022). Does the state impact hope? The impact of direct and vicarious police contact on the optimism of youth in large cities. Child and Adolescent Social Work.

• Flynn, K., Mathias, B., & Wiebe, D. J. (2020). Investigating the (in)visible: Piloting an integrated methodology to explore multiple forms of violence. Journal of Community Psychology, Special Issue, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22349

• Flynn, K., & Mathias, B. (2020). “I would say it’s alive”: Understanding the social construction of place, identity, and neighborhood effects through the lived experience of urban young adults. Qualitative Social Work, 19(3), 481–500. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325020911673

• Chow, J. C., Ren, C., Mathias, B., & Liu, J. (2019). InterBoxes: A social innovation in education in rural China. Children and Youth Services Review, 101, 217–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.04.008

• Mathias, B., Ren, C., Chow, J. (January 2025). What is East Oakland? A mixed-methods study conceptualizing "place" with youth. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Seattle, WA*.

• Mathias, B., Gottlieb, A., Flynn, K. (January 2023). Extracurricular engagement, police contact, and adolescent wellbeing. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ*.

• Gottlieb, A., Mathias, B., Flynn, K. (January 2023). Grit, police contact, collective efficacy, and youth in large cities. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ*.

• Ren, C., Chuang, E., Chow, J., Mathias, B. (January 2023). A machine learning analysis of social work job advertisements in the post-pandemic era. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ*.

• De La Cruz, M., Logan, R., Mathias, B., Garner-Ford, E., Rafie, S., Gomez, A. (January 2023). Rethinking the pharmacy: Healthcare and community stakeholder perceptions of pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraception in rural California. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ*.

• Mathias, B. & Hill, D. (2022). Youth voice and neighborhood institutions: Perspectives from East Oakland. Paper presented at the People, Place and Policy Conference, Sheffield. UK*.

• Gottlieb, A., Berry, M., Flynn, K., & Mathias, B. (January, 2022). Does the state impact hope? Direct and vicarious police contact and optimism among urban teens. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Washington D.C.*

• Mathias, B., Ren, C., & Chow, J. (July 2021). Place and community engagement as predictors of social capital. Paper presented at the People, Place and Policy – Social and Spatial Inequalities Conference, virtual*.

• Ren., C., Chow, J., Weng, S., & Mathias, B. (January 2021). How nonprofits react to economic downturns after the 2008 recession: Analysis by natural language processing. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, virtual*.

• Weng, S., Chow, J., Ren., C., & Mathias, B. (January 2021). Changing identities among identity-based Asian Pacific American ethnic agencies. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, virtual*.

• Weng, S., Chow, J., Ren., C., & Mathias, B. (January 2021). Examining major changes in Asian Pacific American ethnic agencies. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, virtual*.

• Flynn, K. & Mathias, B. (January 2021). I would say it’s alive. Understanding the social construction of place, identity, and neighborhood effects through the lived experience or urban young adults. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, virtual*.

• Mathias, B., Ren, C., & Chow, J. (January 2020). Community engagement as a predictor of social capital: An analysis from the knight soul of the community study. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference, Washington D.C*.

• Ren, C., Mathias, B. Chow, J., & Lyu, Y. (January 2020). Trends in non-profit sectors: A predictive analysis of agency longevity in the US. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference, Washington D.C.*

• Chow, J., Ren, C., & Mathias, B. (October 2018). Interboxes: A social innovation in rural China. Paper presented at the International Conference on Social Innovation in Child and Youth Services, Beijing, China*.

• Santiago, A. M., Ishler, K. J., Lee, E. L., & Mathias, B. (August 2015). Neighborhood residential trajectories shaping childhood exposure to violence. Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, Chicago, IL*.

• Santiago, A. M., Lee, E. L., Berg, K. A., Mathias, B., & Ishler, K. (April 2015). Caregiver and child perceptions of and responses to neighborhood violence. Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the Urban Affairs Association, Miami, FL*.

• Mathias, B., Chupp, M., Mortensen, W., Harp, T., & Mazzola, J. (May 2014). The East Cleveland target area planning project: Working collaboratively towards community revitalization. Poster presented at the ShowCASE Conference, Cleveland, OH

• Guest Lecturer, Stakeholders and Ethics, Research Methods in Program Evaluation for Social Welfare Management, State University of New York at Albany, September 30, 2024
• Guest Speaker, Empowerment and Critical Reflexivity in Practice, The Suitcase Clinic, March 3, 2022; October 6, 2022; March 2, 2023; October 5, 2023 
• Panelist, Meaningful and Mindful Data Collection, Global Metropolitan Series, University of California, Berkeley, April 5, 2023
• Guest Lecturer, Participatory Evaluation, Seminar in Social Research II, University of California, Berkeley, April 4, 2023
• Guest Lecturer, Social Capital and Place – The Social Determinants of Health, City College of San Francisco, March 26, 2021
• Panelist, Social Welfare Pedagogy for First Time Graduate Student Instructors, University of California, Berkeley, August 26, 2020
• Discussant, Book Manuscript “Black in Place: The Spatial Aesthetics of Race in a Post-Chocolate City” for Dr. Brandi Summers, University of California Berkeley, April 16, 2020