Astraea Augsberger, PhD

Bio

Astraea Augsberger, PhD, is Associate Professor at Boston University School of Social Work where she teaches courses in clinical social work practice, child policy and research methods. She received her MSW and Ph.D. from Columbia University School of Social Work. She has 15 years of clinical and research experience with children, youth and families involved in the child welfare, juvenile justice and mental health systems. Dr. Augsberger’s research is focused on child welfare workforce development, civic engagement and strategies for engaging underrepresented groups (e.g., youth of color, parents with disabilities) in legal and governmental decision-making processes. She is an expert in mixed-methods research and has a strong record of collaborating with governmental and child welfare agencies in research that informs policy and practice. Her research has been funded by the Fahs Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation, New York Foundling Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection, MassHousing, the Boston University Initiative on Cities, and the Boston University Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health.  She has written multiple peer reviewed journal articles and presented her research findings at national and international conferences. Her current research projects include an examination of youth engagement in policy advocacy in the context of a multi-state foster care youth advisory board, and an evaluation study of Project IMPACT, an intensive in-home training program for parents with intellectual disabilities at risk for child removal due to allegations of child maltreatment.