Rate My Professor Kathi Trawver

Kathi Trawver is a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011, Master of Social Work from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1998, and Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa in 1979. Throughout her career at the University of Alaska Anchorage, she has held multiple leadership roles, including BSW Program Coordinator, OEC Program Coordinator, Interim MSW Field Education Coordinator, and Co-Director of the Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies. She also serves as Coordinator of the OEC in Interprofessional Child Welfare. Her teaching encompasses research methods and social work practice courses.

Trawver's research addresses critical issues in social welfare, including homelessness, food and housing insecurity among college students, managed alcohol programs for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, child welfare workforce development, and mental health interventions. She co-edited the book Psychosocial Treatment of Schizophrenia (John Wiley & Sons, 2011), contributing chapters on assertive community treatment and clinical implications. Notable peer-reviewed publications include 'Researching food and housing insecurity among America’s college students: Lessons learned and future steps' (Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 2020), 'Managed alcohol: one community’s innovative response to risk management during COVID-19' (Harm Reduction Journal, 2021), 'A statewide integrated child welfare coaching and mentoring program: Mentored workers’ perception of quality, impact, and satisfaction' (Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2024), 'Library-based field placements: Meeting the diverse needs of patrons, including those experiencing homelessness' (Journal of Social Work Education, 2020), and 'Unsheltered homeless youth point-in-time count and outreach: Opportunities for university–community collaboration' (Families in Society, 2016). Her work emphasizes community-driven evaluation and interprofessional collaboration to support vulnerable populations in Alaska.