Faculty and Staff Profiles

Sarah R. Leat
Assistant Professor, Social Work
Email: srrbnsn2@memphis.edu
Office Location:
Education
  • PhD in Social Work Social Work - University of Texas at Arlington - 2021
  • Master of Social Work Social Work - Texas Christian University - 2017
  • Bachelors of Arts Psychology and Religion - Baylor University - 2012

Work Experience
  • Assistant Professor, Social Work - University of Memphis - 2021 - present
  • Adjunct Instructor and Research Coach, Social Work - University of Arkansas Fayetteville - 2020 - present
  • Adjunct Instructor, Social Work - University of Texas at Arlington - 2017 - 2021

Teaching Experience
  • SWRK 7022 Organizations and Community Practice - University of Memphis
  • SWRK 7025 Scientific Methods - University of Memphis
  • SWRK 7034 Advanced Community Practice - University of Memphis

Support
  • Peers Engaging and Empowering Recovery (PEER) Program - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals - $1,540,477 - 2021 - 2025
  • Increasing Collaboration among Domestic Violence Agencies - Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs - $376,523 - 2022 - 2025
  • Project: Research on Intimate Partner Violence Collaborative: Service Needs of LGBTQ2+ Individuals. Role: PI. - University of Memphis Community of Research Scholars - $5,000 - 2023 - 2024
  • Project: Victims’ Assistance Needs of University of Memphis Students. Role: Co-PI. - University of Memphis Community of Research Scholars - $2,500 - 2023 - 2024
  • Project: Research on Intimate Partner Violence Collaborative: Service Needs of LGBTQ2+ Individuals. Role: PI - University of Memphis Community of Research Scholar - $2,500 - 2022 - 2023
  • Project: Moms in Shelters: Understanding the experiences of intimate partner violence survivors who are mothers in shelter. Role: PI. - University of Memphis College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Grant - $10,000 - 2022 - 2023

Outreach
  • Research on Intimate Partner Violence Collaborative: Service Needs of LGBTQ2+ Individuals - University of Memphis and Love Doesn't Hurt 901 - 2023 - present - University of Memphis Community of Research Scholars Grant
  • Validation of Measures for Transportation Coercion and Environmental Stress for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence - University of Memphis and University of Knoxville - 2022 - present -  
  • Increasing Collaboration Among Domestic Violence Agencies - University of Memphis and The Public Safety Institute - 2022 - present - Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs
  • A needs assessment of services for survivors of intimate partner violence in Knoxville, TN - University of Memphis and University of Knoxville - 2022 - 2025 - University of Knoxville Internal Grant
Service
  • University of Memphis - Public Safety Institute Advisory Board - 2023 - present
  • University of Memphis - SUAPP Community Advisory Board - 2022 - present
  • University of Memphis - DSW Committee - 2022 - present
  • University of Memphis - MSW Committee - 2021 - present
Books Reviewed

  •  Maxwell, D., Leat, S., Thomas, J. & Thomas, S. (Accepted for publication). Book chapter - Tattoo environment for restoration and healing. In A. Conyers & M. Kelley, Deviance Today, 3rd Edition. Routledge.

  • Maxwell D., Heck, J., Parker, J., Quederbitty, C., Leat, S., Parker, M., Holland, T., (Accepted for publication) Book Chapter - Supporting Mental Health and Wellness Among Indigenous Adults Who are Pregnant or Postpartum. In Schroeder, S., Luger, B., Smith-Yliniemi, J., Fox, L., & McLean, A. Supporting Mental Health and Wellness among Indigenous Peoples in the US: Adults and Elders.

  • Ravi, K.E., Haselschwerdt, M., Leat, S., Lawler, A., Kapur, I., Obenauf, C., Eya, O. (2025). Technical Report - Knox county domestic violence needs assessment. Figshare. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30200107.v1
  • Robinson, S.R. (2019). Book review – The sexual politics of gendered violence and women’s citizenship. Affilia: Journal of Women in Social Work. Advanced online publication. doi: 10.1177/0886109919851141
  •  Robinson, S. R. (2019). Book chapter – Needs Assessments. In R. L. Mauldin (Ed.), Foundations of Social Work Research (pp. 357-358). Arlington, TX: Open Mavs Press.
  • Voth Schrag, R., Robinson, S.R., & Padilla-Medina, D. (2019). Technical report – Outcomes of Survivors after Transitional Housing. Austin, TX: Texas Council on Family Violence.
  • Voth Schrag, R., Ravi, K., & Robinson, S.R., (2019). Technical report – Understanding the Needs of Non-service seeking survivors: A Final Report for the Texas Council on Family Violence. Austin, TX: Texas Council on Family Violence.
  •  Robinson, S.R. (2018). Book review – Becoming strong: Impoverished women and the struggle to overcome violence. Affilia: Journal of Women in Social Work, 34(4), 572-732. doi: 10.1177/0886109918813024.
  •  Robinson, S.R. (2018). Book review – The transformation of Title IX: Regulating gender equality in education. Affilia: Journal of Women in Social Work, 34(3), 403-404. doi: 10.1177/0886109918790931 
Journal Articles

  • Rai, A., Ravi, K., Chandarana, S., Leat, S.R., Eya, O. (Accepted for publication). In-law Abuse Experiences in a National Sample of Men and Women Across the United States. JSSWR.

  • Nordberg, A., Leat, S. R., Cronley, C., & Fields, N. (2026). Mobility Equity and Transportation in Pursuit of Social Work’s Grand Challenges. Journal of Social Work, 26(1), 75-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173251336104

  • Cronley, C., Ravi, K., Lawler, A., Leat, S. R., Conway, A., & Kim, S. (2026). Surveillance or Support? Mothers’ Experiences of Parenting in U.S. Intimate Partner Violence Shelters. Journal of Family Violence, available online.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-01025-6

  • Maxwell, D., Munoz, R., Leat, S.R., & Jackson, C. (2025). Race Related Stress as a Driver of Postpartum Depression Among a Sample of Black Mothers. Behavioral Sciences, 15(11), 1533. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111533

  • Maxwell, D., Leat, S. R., Munoz, R. (2025). The development and validation of Birthing Environment Assessment Scale. JOGNN, available online. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2025.11.002

  • Iratzoqui, A. & Leat, S. R. (2025). Formulation and evaluation of a domestic violence coordinated community response. Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, available online. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2025.2607581          

  • Ravi, K.E., Leat, S.R., Montgomery, K.L., Kapur, I. (2024). “He was afraid I wouldn’t come back”: Experiences of transportation coercion among survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00774-0

  • Thomas, J., Leat, S. R., Maxwell, D. & Williams, J. (2024). Barriers to empowerment for rural mothers using TANF who experience IPV. Journal of Family Violence,41,173-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00738-4

  • Maxwell, D., Leat, S. R., Thomas, J., & Coad, S. (2024). Power through anonymity: Exploring barriers to reporting sexual assault through an analysis of Reddit data. Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099241291872

  • Ravi, K.E., Leat, S.R., Rai, A., Obenauf, C.*, Masters-Henry, N., Dunbar, D. (2024). Survivor experiences living in an intimate partner violence shelter in the United States in 2022: Implications for the COVID-19 endemic and beyond. Families in Society, 106(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894241260072

  • Maxwell, D., Leat, S. R., Gallegos, T. & Praetorius, R. (2024). Sacred space: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of women’s experiences of supportive birthing environments. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 372. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06544-6

  • Leat. S. R., Ravi, K., & Obernauf, C., (2024). Living in an intimate partner violence shelter during a pandemic: Perspectives from advocates and survivors. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2024.2308828.

  • Maxwell, D., Leat, S., Coad, S., Thomas, J. & Thomas, S. (2023). The tattoo environment as a therapeutic healing space for sexual assault survivors. Deviant Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2023.2250052

  • Leat, S.R., Ravi, K., Rai, A., Obenauf, C., & Bryant, S. (2023). Do I belong here? Experiences of transgender survivors of IPV in shelters. Families in Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231196929

  • Elias-Lambert, N., Leat, S. R., Grace, J., Pond, R. & Bolton, K. (2023). Development of the Bystander Attitude Behavior Scales with university faculty. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2023.2248055.

  • Maxwell, D., Leat, S. R., & Thomas, J. (2023). A scoping review of measures of beliefs towards becoming a mother. Best Practices in Mental Health., 19(1), 1-31.

  • Voth Schrag, R., Fantus, S., Leat, S. R., Childress, S., & Wood, L. (2023). Experiencing moral distress within the intimate partner violence and sexual assault workforce. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00567-x.

  • Ravi, K.E., Leat, S.R., Voth Schrag, R., & Moore, K. (2023). Factors influencing help-seeking choices among non-service-connected survivors of IPV. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00495-w

  • Leat, S.R., Ravi, K.E., Nordberg, A., & Voth Schrag, R. (2022). Exploring the feasibility of shared mobility services for reducing transportation disadvantage among survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Transport and Health, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101517

  • Elias-Lambert, E., Leat, S. R., Grace, J., & Voth Schrag, R. (2022). Faculty bystanders: Capturing university faculty’s willingness to engage in prosocial behavior. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma.https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2023.2171825

  • Elias-Lambert, E., Leat, S.R., & Grace, J. (2022). Bystander programming with faculty: Recommendations for institutions of higher education. Journal of Primary Prevention, 43(2), 257-275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-022-00669-0

  • Maxwell, D. & Leat, S.R. (2022). A review of the empirical measure son becoming a mother and their relevance to the American Indian/Native Alaskan mother: Implications for research and policy. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(2), 63-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2041520

  • Voth Schrag, R., Leat, S., Backes, B., & Wood, L. (2022). “So many extra safety layers:” Virtual service provision and implementing social distancing in interpersonal violence service agencies during COVID-19. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00350-w

  • Nordberg, A., Davis, J.B., Patel, M., Mattingly, S., & Leat, S.R. (2021). Towards a reentry mobilities assemblage: An exploration of transportation and obligation among returning citizens. Mobilities, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2021.2008770

  • Voth Schrag, R., Leat, S. R., Wood, L. (2021). “Everyone is living in the same storm, but our boats are all different”: Safety and safety planning for survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211062998

  • Davis, J.B., Nordberg, A., Mattingly, S., Patel, M., & Leat, S.R. (2021). Transportation among returning citizens: “You just want to stay down and get high.” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211059476

  • Leat, S.R., Cronley, C., Hyun, K., & Naz, F. (2021). Examining the feasibility of shared mobility programs for reducing transportation inequities: Perspectives from the front-line. Journal of Poverty, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2021.1919351. 

  • Hyun, K., Naz, F., Cronley, C., & Leat, S.R. (2021). User characteristics of shared-mobility:A comparative analysis of car-sharing and ride-hailing services. Transportation Planning and Technology, 44(4), 436-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2021.1919351

  • Fields, N., Cronley, C., Mattingly, S., Murphy, E., Leat, S.R., & Miller, V. (2021).Transportation mobility and health among older adults: An investigation of travel behaviors using app technology.Journal of Transportation and Health, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2021.101069

  • Ravi, K., Robinson, S.R., &Voth Schrag, R. (2021). Facilitators of formal help-seeking for adult survivors of IPV in the United States: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, advanced publication online. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838021995954

  • Voth Schrag, R., Ravi, K., Robinson, S.R., Schroeder, E., & Padilla-Medina, D (2020). Experiences with help seeking and services among survivors of intimate partner violence who are not engaged in services. Violence Against Women, 27(12-13), 2313-2334. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1177/1077801220963861

  • Robinson, S.R., Casiano, A., & Elias-Lambert, N. (2020). “Is it my responsibility?” A qualitative review of university students’ perspectives on bystander behavior. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(1), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020933829.

  • Dabelko-Schoeny, H., Fields, N.L., White, K., Ravi, K., Robinson, S.R., Murphy, I.E., & Jennings, C. (2020) Using community-based participatory research strategies in age-friendly communities to solve mobility challenges. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 63(5), 447-463. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1080/01634372.2020.1769787

  • Maxwell, D., Robinson, S.R., Williams, J.R., & Keaton, J.C., (2019). Short story of a lonely guy: A qualitative thematic analysis of involuntary celibacy using Reddit. Sexuality and Culture, 24(6), 1852-1874.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09724-6

  • Robinson, S.R., Ravi, K., & Voth Schrag, R. (2020). A systematic review of barriers to formal help seeking for adult survivors of IPV in the United States, 2005-2019. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(5), 1274-1295.https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020916254.

  • Robinson, S.R., Elias-Lambert, N., Casiano, A., & Ward, L. (2020). “Culture-bearer, culture-sharer, culture-changer”: The role of faculty in preventing sexual violence on campus. Advances in Social Work, 20(1), 45-60.https://doi.org/10.18060/23381

  • Nordberg, A., Davis, J.B., Robinson, S.R., Keaton, J.C., & Barnett, M.M. (2020). Transportation barriers to successful reentry among returning citizens: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis. The Prison Journal, 101(4), 488-506. https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855211029894

  • Robinson, S.R., Maxwell, D., & Williams, J.R. (2019). A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of pregnant women’s experiences of intimate partner violence. The Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 48(6), 604-614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2019.08.002

  • Maxwell, D. & Robinson, S.R. (2019). Safety for Native Women: An Indigenous-First Policy Analysis of Violence Against Women Act Title IX. Advances in Social Work, 19(1), 181-200. https://doi.org/10.18060/22608.

  • Voth Schrag, R., Robinson, S.R., & Ravi. K. (2019). Understanding pathways within intimate partner violence: Economic abuse, economic hardship, and mental health. Journal of Aggression, 28(2), 222-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1546247.

  • Maxwell, D., Robinson, S.R., Rogers, K. (2019). “I keep it to myself”: A qualitative meta-interpretive synthesis of experiences of postpartum depression among marginalized women. Health and Social Care in the Community, 27(3), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12645. 

  • Robinson, S.R., Maxwell, D., & Rogers, K. (2019). Living in domestic violence shelters: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of women’s experiences. The British Journal of Social Work, 0, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz079.

  • Rogers, K., Maxwell., D., & Robinson, S.R. (2018). Influences of academic success among low-income, minority students: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of student, educator, and parent experiences. School Social Work, 43(1), 38-59. 

  • Voth Schrag, R., Ravi, K., & Robinson, S.R. (2018). The role of social support in the link between economic abuse and economic hardship. Journal of Family Violence, 35(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-018-0019-8.