Jane Hereth, PhD

Dr. Jane Hereth (she/they) is an assistant professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Hereth’s research examines the determinants and impacts of social and structural exclusion, gender-based violence, and criminal legal system involvement on the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) youth. Her recent work examines young transgender women’s trajectories of carceral involvement and victimization.

At UWM, Dr. Hereth teaches courses in social work practice across the BSW and MSW levels, including a course on social work practice with LGBTQIA+ communities. She is the director of UWM’s Training for Adoption Competency program. Dr. Hereth’s research and teaching are informed by her social work practice experience with LGBTQIA+ youth and survivors of gender-based violence.

Dr. Hereth serves as a consulting editor for Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work and volunteers as a board member of the ACLU of Wisconsin. She received the Outstanding Research Award from the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare in 2022 and the Award for Distinguished Feminist Scholarship and Praxis in Social Work from the journal Affilia in 2020.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration
• MSW, University of Illinois at Chicago
• B.A., Grinnell College

Current Funding:

• 2023-2025: Co-Investigator (PI: Fedock). The impact of collateral consequences on help-seeking and help-attainment for behavioral health needs for women with criminal records. National Institutes of Health.
• 2023-2025: Co-Investigator (PI: Shorey). A mixed-method study on transgender and gender diverse adults’ alcohol use. National Institutes of Health.
• 2023-2024: Co-Investigator (PI: Wesp). Community shot clinics to support self-management of gender-affirming hormone therapy. UWM Discovery and Innovation Grant.
• 2021-2024: Co-Investigator (PI: Shorey). Alcohol-related intimate partner violence among transgender and gender non-conforming adults. National Institutes of Health.

• 2021-2024: Principal Investigator. Using the life history calendar to examine young transgender women’s trajectories of violence, mental health, and protective processes. National Institutes of Health.
• 2021-2024: Principal Investigator. Exploring the acceptability, feasibility, and benefits of a mentoring program for transgender youth and adult mentors. Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation.

Select Recent Publications:

• Hereth, J. E. (2024). Pathways leading to arrest for transgender women. Feminist Criminology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15570851241250126
• Hereth, J. E. (2024). “I don’t think the police think we’re human”: Legal socialization among young transgender women. Journal of Homosexuality. 71(9), 2175-2199. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2225985
• Hereth, J. E., & Durand, B. (2022). Incorporating transgender-affirmative practice models into substance use treatment and prevention. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 23(2), 152-160.org/10.1080/1533256X.2022.2106736
• Hereth, J. (2022). Overrepresentation of people who identify as LGBTQ+ in the criminal legal system. MacArthur Foundation.
• Hereth, J. (2021). ‘Where is the safe haven?’: Transgender women’s experiences of victimization and help-seeking across the life course. Feminist Criminology. 16(4), 461-479. doi.org/10.1177/15570851211010951
• Hereth, J., Garthe, R., Garofalo, R., Reisner, S. L., Mimiaga, M. J., & Kuhns, L. (2021). Examining patterns of interpersonal violence, structural and social exclusion, resilience, and arrest among young transgender women. Advance online publication. Criminal Justice and Behavior. doi.org/10.1177/0093854820938420
• Hereth, J., & Bouris, A. (2020). From smart decarceration to abolition: Centering the experiences of LGBTQ youth within the criminal legal system. Journal of Women and Social Work: Anti-Carceral Feminisms: Imagining a World Without Prisons, 35(3), 358-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109919871268
• Hereth, J., Pardee, D. J., & Reisner, S. (2020). Sexual orientation and gender identity development among young adult trans men sexually active with cisgender men: “I had completely ignored my sexuality, I was like, that’s for a different time to figure out.” Culture, Health and Sexuality, 22sup:1, 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1636290