Skip to main content

Graham named Outstanding Doctoral Student 2019

Laurie Graham has received the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award for 2019 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Associate Dean for Doctoral Education Mimi Chapman presented the award, which recognizes a doctoral student who demonstrates exemplary scholarship, teaching, service, leadership and collegial support of fellow students.

Graham is a Royster Fellow and graduated with her Ph.D. in social work on Saturday, May 11, 2019. A three-time Tar Heel, Graham also earned her Bachelor of Arts (sociology and psychology) and Master of Social Work degrees from UNC.

As an undergraduate, Graham served as an intern in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and volunteered at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center (OCRCC), where she worked with survivors of interpersonal violence. She returned to OCRCC after earning her MSW, serving as programs director and as crisis response coordinator.

While at OCRCC, Graham developed a handbook on best practices for developing and implementing support group programs for survivors of sexual violence. Her work on this handbook helped earn her the 2013 Peer Support Award, presented by the NC Coalition against Sexual Violence. She was also named a “Hometown Hero” by WCHL in October 2014 for her work with OCRCC.

Throughout her doctoral studies, Graham has focused her research on gender-based violence intervention and prevention, working with Rebecca Macy, Ph.D., L. Richardson Preyer Distinguished Chair for Strengthening Families. In 2018, Graham was selected for the inaugural class of Fellows with the UNC Injury and Violence Prevention Center.

Graham has accepted a tenure-track appointment as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland.