Research for healing and for change.

Asking to Understand

Assessing Needs to Understand Social Conditions

Nnawulezi, N., & Hacskaylo, M. (2022). Identifying and responding to the complex needs of domestic violence housing practitioners at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Family Violence, 37(6), 915-925.

Nnawulezi, N., Dones, M., Fradkin, A. & Kalema, N. (2020). Making Meaning of Safety and Thriving in Black and Brown Communities in NYC. New York City, NY: National Innovation Service.

Nnawulezi, N., & Murphy, C. (2019). Understanding formal help-seeking among women whose partners are in abuser treatment programs. Psychology of Violence, 9(4), 383-391.

Sabri, B., Nnawulezi, N., Nije-Carr, V.S., Messing, J., Ward-Lasher, A., Alvarez, C., & Campbell, J.C. (2018). Multilevel risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence among immigrant and refugee women: Perceived needs for safety planning. Race and social problems, 10(4), 348-365.

Nnawulezi, N. (2017). Surviving DC: A Research Synthesis of Domestic Violence Survivors' Experiences. Washington, DC: DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Finding Out What Works

Identifying Empowering Conditions in Organizations and Across Systems

Goodman, L., Epstein, D., Nnawulezi, N., Zhang, E., Hailes, H., & Slocum, A. (2023). Informal help-seeking in moments of acute danger: intimate partner violence survivors’ emergency outreach efforts and the forces that shape them. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(5-6). 4742-4767. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221119517

Jumarali, S., Nnawulezi, N., Eldridge, K., Murphy, C., & Engleton, J. (2023). Survivors’ perspectives on relationship violence intervention programs. Journal of Family Violence, 38, 477-489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00423-4

Murphy, C., Nnawulezi, N., & Ting, L. (2023). Women’s formal help-seeking before and after their abusive partner initiates relationship violence treatment. Violence Against Women, 29(2), 229-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221088309

Murphy, C., Nnawulezi, N., & Ting, L. (2023). Women’s formal help-seeking before and after their abusive partner initiates relationship violence treatment. Violence Against Women, 29(2), 229-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221088309

Nnawulezi, N., & Dones, M. (2021). Housing strategies for addressing domestic violence and abuse. In J. Devaney, C. Bradbury-Jones, S. Holt, C. Øverlien, R. Macy (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Domestic Violence and ABuse. Routledge.

Nnawulezi, N., Sullivan, C.M., & Hacskaylo, M. (2019). Examining setting characteristics that promote survivor empowerment: A mixed method study. Journal of Family Violence, 34(4), 261-274.

Nnawulezi, N., Godsay, S., Sullivan, C.M., Marcus, S., & Hacskaylo, M. (2018). The influence of low-barrier and voluntary service policies on survivor empowerment in a domestic violence organization. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(6), 670-680.

Nnawulezi, N. & West, C. (2018). Institutional strategies to promote the health of black women who survive intimate partner violence. Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, 16(2), 276-285.

Nnawulezi, N. (2016). From Organizational Culture to Survivor Outcomes: A Process and Outcome Evaluation of the District Alliance for Safe Housing. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University.

Naming the Barriers

Understanding Impediments to Gaining Power

Noh, M., Mehta, N., Kim, C., Bond, K., Threats, M., Jackson, J.W., Nnawulezi, N. & Agénor, M. (2025) Association between health care discrimination and medical mistrust among black assigned female at birth adults with minoritized sexual and gender identities in the United States. LGBT Health. Advanced online publication.

Singh, S., Mehta, N., Noh, M., Bond, K., Threats, M., Jackson, J., Nnawulezi, N., Mercedes, M., & Agénor, M., (2025). Weight-based health care discrimination and cervical cancer screening among Black sexual and gender minoritized assigned female at birth adults in the United States. Health Equity, 9(1), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2024.0158

Jumarali, S., Nnawulezi, N., Eldridge, K., Murphy, C., & Engleton, J. (2023). Survivors’ perspectives on relationship violence intervention programs. Journal of Family Violence, 38, 477-489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00423-4

Nnawulezi, N., Engleton, J., Jumarali, S., Royson, S., & Murphy, C. (2021). “Isn’t there any other way than calling the cops?” How Differences in Initiation of Police Intervention Influence Survivor Safety. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advanced online publication.

Nnawulezi, N., & Young, L. (2021). Pitfalls of Housing Prioritization: Considerations of Culture and Power. Harrisburg, PA: National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Nnawulezi, N., & Case, K., & Settles, I. (2020). Ambivalent racial consciousness: Examining intersectional reflection and complexity in practitioner graduate training. Women and Therapy, 43(3-4), 365-388.

Lippy, C., Jumarali, S., Nnawulezi, N., & Burk, C. (2020). The impact of mandatory reporting policies on survivors of intimate partner violence: Intersectionality, help-seeking and the need for change. Journal of Family Violence, 35(3), 225-267.

Nnawulezi, N., Godsay, S., & Bryant, L. (2020). Microaggressions in human service settings. In L. Nenuto, M. Duckworth, A. Masuda, &W. O'Donohue (Eds.), Prejudice, Stigma, Privilege and Oppression: A Behavioral Health Handbook. New York, NY: Springer Nature

Nnawulezi, N., & Sullivan, C. M. (2014). Oppression within safe spaces: Exploring racial microaggressions within domestic violence shelters. Journal of Black Psychology, 40(6), 563-591.

Gregory, K., Nnawulezi, N., & Sullivan, C. M. (2021). Understanding how domestic violence shelter rules may influence survivor empowerment. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(1-2), 402-423.

Offering Community-Based Responses

Offering Future Directions in Advocacy

Nnawulezi, N., Rieger, A., Shaw, J., Greeson, M., Lichty, L., & Allen, N. (2022). Reflecting and rejuvenating our work, together: One team’s consideration of AJCP publications on gender-based violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 70(3-4), 255-264. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12603

Bryant, L., Godsay, S., & Nnawulezi, N. (2021). Envisioning human service organizations free of microaggressions. New Ideas in Psychology, 63. Advanced online publication.

sanchez gill, a. & Nnawulezi, N. (2020). Future directions in advocacy in response to interpersonal violence. In R. Geffner, V. Vieth, V. Vaughan-Eden, A. Rosenbaum, L.K. Hamberger, & J. White (Eds.), Handbook of Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan

Transformative Research Methods

Utilizing innovative research methods to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities

What it Means

Opara, I., Chandler, C., Alcena-Steiner, D., Nnawulezi, N., & Kershaw, T. (2020). When pandemics call: Community-based research considerations for HIV Scholars. Aids & Behavior, 24(8), 2265-2267.

Nnawulezi, N., Lippy, C., Serrata, J., & Rodriguez, R. (2018). Doing equitable work in inequitable conditions: A special issue on transformative research methods in the genre-based violence field. Journal of Family Violence, 33(8), 507-513.

Reed, S., Miller, R., Nnawulezi, N., & Valenti, M. (2012). Erecting closets and outing ourselves: Uncomfortable reflexivity and the messiness of community-based research. Journal of Community Psychology, 40(1), 11-26.

How to Do it

Jumarali, S., Nnawulezi, N., Royson, S., & Lippy, C., Rivera, A.N., & Toopet, T. (2021). Participatory research engagement of vulnerable populations: Employing survivor-centered, trauma-informed approaches. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 2(2).

Nnawulezi, N., & Sullivan, C.M., Marcus, S., Young, L., & Hacskaylo, M. (2019). Negotiating participatory research processes with domestic violence program staff to obtain ecologically valid data. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(23-24), 4817-4387.

Goodman, L., Thomas, K., Nnawulezi, N., Lippy, C., Serrata, J., Ghanbarpour, S., ...Bair-Merritt, M. (2018). Bringing community based participatory research to domestic violence scholarship: An online toolkit. Journal of Family Violence, 33(2), 103-107.

Goodman, L.A., Thomas, K.A., Serrata, J.V., Lippy, C., Nnawulezi, N., Ghanbarpour, S...Bair-Merritt, M.H. (2017). Power Through Partnerships: A CBPR Toolkit for Domestic Violence Researchers. Harrisburg, PA: National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Adams, A.E., Nnawulezi, N., & Vandenberg, L. (2015). "Expectations to Change" (E2C): A participatory method for facilitating stakeholder engagement with evaluation findings. American Journal of Evaluation, 36(2), 243-255.

Nnawulezi, N., Rivera, E., & Gregory. K. (2012). Bridging facilitation and community psychology: Promoting meaningful community collaboration through facilitation. The Community Psychologist, 45(3), 30-31. (peer-reviewed article in society newsletter)

Kubiak, S., Sullivan, C.M., Fries, L., Nnawulezi, N., & Feddock, G. (2011). Best Practice Toolkit for Working with Domestic Violence Survivors with Criminal Histories. Okemos, MI: Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.