Kalen Flynn, PhD, MSW, MSSP

Kalen earned her MSW, MSSP, and PhD from SP2. She comes to the center with over a decade of experience in research and policy practice. As a social science researcher, social work educator, and former policy -research practitioner, Dr. Flynn focuses her research on two aims: first, investigating the impacts of structural violence, and second, examining policy solutions to mitigate these impacts. Her work has earned accolades including an honorable mention for the Society of Social Work Research’s Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2019 and the Social Services Review’s Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize in 2022. Dr. Flynn is PI of two guaranteed income pilots in Saint Paul, MN examining the impacts on refugee families and artists, she is also co-PI on the NIH funded grant “Child Support Arrears: Understanding the Scope, Magnitude, and Opportunities for Reform in Cook County”. Kalen has expertise in qualitative methods and community-based research.