Research Interests
Feminist Social WorkPIC AbolitionTransformative JusticeSex workSexualitiesInterpersonal Violence in LGBTQI+ communitiesRacial and Economic JusticeCriminalization of mental health
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Available: No
Grant Funded Positions Available: No
Course-Credit Research Opportunities Available: No
Volunteer Research Positions Available: No
Biography
Dr. Panichelli’s academic foundation in Women’s and Gender Studies instilled in her a commitment to intersectional feminist politics, anti-oppressive social work practice, and the values of transformative justice. In her past work experience, she managed a harm reduction program for injection drug users and people working in the sex trade, coordinated an LGBTQ domestic violence program, trained and supported advocacy staff at a Domestic Violence shelter, and facilitated sexual violence prevention education with K-12th graders. Likewise, Dr. Panichelli’s teaching and research are grounded in feminist approaches to social work, namely those that incorporate anti-carceral, queer, and intersectional theories of oppression. More specifically, she is interested in the role social workers play in the criminalization of already vulnerable communities. Her dissertation research analyzed the content and pedagogical choices employed by social work educators to teach about the sex trades, while her current research includes a project on harm reduction and radical social work practice with substance using pregnant women and a project utilizing arrest data for prostitution. She is interested in continuing to pursue research at the intersections of citizenship, mental health, sexuality, pregnancy, and drug use. As a first generation college graduate, Dr. Panichelli is thrilled to work in the BSW Undergraduate Social Work Department, and she looks forward to teaching courses that prioritize social and economic justice. She will ask you about your astrological sign and likes her coffee with cream and sugar.
