{"id":9761,"date":"2026-08-26T15:53:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/publichealth\/?p=9761"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:56:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:56:48","slug":"phd-mentor-rose-hennessy-garza-advances-sexual-violence-prevention-through-implementation-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/publichealth\/phd-mentor-rose-hennessy-garza-advances-sexual-violence-prevention-through-implementation-science\/","title":{"rendered":"PhD Mentor: Rose Hennessy Garza advances sexual violence prevention through implementation science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Rose Hennessy Garza, PhD<\/a>, preventing sexual violence means moving beyond awareness alone and asking a more difficult question: How can colleges and communities put effective prevention strategies into practice in ways that truly meet the needs of different students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hennessy Garza, a faculty member in the PhD in Public Health: Community and Behavioral Health Promotion<\/a> program at the UWM Zilber College of Public Health, studies sexual violence prevention at the intersection of implementation science and public health. She is seeking a new doctoral student to begin working with her in Fall 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research is focused on identifying, developing and implementing evidence-based, stakeholder-informed approaches that can prevent both sexual violence victimization and perpetration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am interested in exploring how to feasibly implement evidence-based programs that are known to prevent victimization and perpetration,\u201d Hennessy Garza said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rethinking how colleges prevent sexual violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much of Hennessy Garza\u2019s current work focuses on sexual violence on U.S. college campuses. In particular, she is interested in moving away from one-size-fits-all, compliance-focused awareness programs and toward more intentional prevention strategies that better reflect the different needs and experiences students bring with them to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That includes thinking carefully about students who enter college with previous experiences of sexual violence or complex trauma histories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work also emphasizes the process of deimplementation<\/strong>\u2014identifying practices that are ineffective, overly broad or no longer serving their intended purpose and replacing them with stronger evidence-based approaches. Hennessy Garza has studied deimplementation in other areas of public health, including efforts to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing, and is interested in applying lessons from that work to sexual violence prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An opportunity to help build a new approach to prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A doctoral student joining Hennessy Garza\u2019s research program could become involved in an ambitious multi-year project focused on developing a screening tool that could help identify students\u2019 sexual violence risk during their first year of college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-term goal is to better understand whether prevention programs can be matched to students based on their individual needs rather than delivering the same intervention to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is expected to involve several stages of research, including understanding implementation needs, improving the feasibility of the screening process, assessing its validity and acceptability among diverse groups of students, pilot testing the tool, studying its predictive strengths and limitations, and eventually implementing evidence-based sexual violence prevention programs across college campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the scope of the work, a PhD student could gain experience with qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods research while also developing related questions for independent study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a big research dream,\u201d Hennessy Garza said, \u201cbut one that I believe will have important implications and could lead to less victims of violence and more young people engaging in healthy sexual interactions based on consent and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also beginning research comparing different approaches to predicting sexual violence risk, including traditional statistical models and artificial intelligence-based models. The work will consider not only predictive accuracy but also whether different approaches are acceptable to the students and other stakeholders they are intended to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Centering diverse experiences and research ethics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hennessy Garza sees sexual violence as a longstanding public health challenge requiring interdisciplinary and multilevel solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work brings together people with many different perspectives, including campus sexual violence advocates and prevention staff, Title IX coordinators, researchers, students and survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is especially interested in making prevention research more inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campus sexual violence has historically often been framed around the experiences of white, cisgender women. Hennessy Garza wants prevention strategies to better reflect the experiences of groups that have frequently been underserved, including women of color, transgender students, students with disabilities, international students, LGBTQ+ populations and male survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because sexual violence is an especially sensitive area of research, she also places a strong emphasis on research ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that the research method should be the best fit to address the problem,\u201d she said. As a mixed-methods researcher, she collaborates with qualitative and quantitative experts when additional expertise is needed and provides students with mentorship in navigating research involving sensitive topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Hennessy Garza looks for in a PhD student<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Previous experience studying sexual violence is not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hennessy Garza welcomes students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, particularly those who hope to build a career around sexual violence prevention, implementation science or related public health questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She especially values resilience, flexibility, curiosity and a willingness to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research is shaped in real time by stakeholders and implementation needs, which means projects sometimes change direction as new information emerges. She therefore hopes to mentor students who find that process energizing and who are motivated by the opportunity to create safer communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love to hear new ideas and welcome students who are ready to contribute as they learn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hennessy Garza\u2019s ultimate goal is to help doctoral students become independent investigators. Her mentoring approach combines high expectations with clear guidance, consistent support and ongoing feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy goal to mentoring doctoral students is to prepare them to be independent, thriving scholars that disrupt the status quo and conduct transformative research that changes lives, especially the health and wellbeing of those most marginalized by our society,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities to publish, present and collaborate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Students working with Hennessy Garza can also expect opportunities that extend beyond their dissertation research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is interested in working with doctoral students on peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and future research assistantships. She has already co-authored research with undergraduate students and has supported doctoral students in submitting papers as lead authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those experiences are intended to help students build the publication record, professional network and research independence they will need for their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduates trained in this area could pursue research careers in universities or research institutions, but Hennessy Garza also sees strong opportunities in practice-oriented leadership roles within government agencies, nonprofit organizations and global organizations working to prevent violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mentor who knows the program from both sides<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hennessy Garza brings another perspective to mentoring students in the Community and Behavioral Health Promotion PhD program: She is a graduate of the program herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She views UWM\u2019s position as both a top-tier research university and an access institution as one of its distinctive strengths. It allows students to receive rigorous research training while learning within a university and a city shaped by diverse experiences and strong community partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUWM has dedicated and passionate faculty, students, and staff and Milwaukee is a home of people looking to improve our community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is a great place to engage in community collaborations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experience as both a former doctoral student and now a faculty mentor continues to shape her enthusiasm for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI continue to be in awe of the quality of our doctoral students as both people and professionals, and their drive to dismantle systems of oppression and truly improve the public\u2019s health,\u201d Hennessy Garza said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For prospective PhD students interested in sexual violence prevention, implementation science and research designed to create meaningful change, working with Hennessy Garza offers an opportunity to help build new approaches to one of public health\u2019s most persistent challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Rose Hennessy Garza, PhD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interested students are encouraged to email Dr. Hennessy Garza at \u00a0hennes23@uwm.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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