Victoria Banyard PhD
Victoria Banyard is a Professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey where she is also the Associate Director of the Center on Violence Against Women and Children and Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Dr. Banyard has dedicated her academic career to finding better ways to help communities prevent and respond to interpersonal violence. Banyard – who received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (and a Certificate in Women's Studies) from the University of Michigan – has worked with colleagues across the U.S. and abroad to help shape policy at the national, state, and local level through a rigorous examination of violence-prevention programs centered on a critical question: Do they work? Banyard uses multiple methods, both quantitative and qualitative, to understand how, where, and why prevention strategies and programs succeed or not. Her research, begun more than 25 years ago, underscores the importance of listening well to the strengths of survivors and empowering those in a position to help them – be they policy makers, practitioners, or bystanders – with the best practices available. Dr. Banyard regularly collaborates with practitioners and community agencies, centering community engaged approaches to research. She has authored nearly 200 articles and book chapters and regularly teaches courses on the causes, consequences, and prevention of interpersonal violence.
