Welcome New Faculty Member Kristy Anderson
As a young adult, Dr. Kristy Anderson worked as a direct support provider for persons with disabilities. Her experiences brought to her attention how often services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were inadequate and underfunded. She also noticed frequent disparities in quality of life, particularly for those in rural communities and for those socioeconomically disadvantaged.
While working in the field, Dr. Anderson became aware of the ability for research to inform practice, services and policy. While still working in direct service, Anderson was involved in a large-scale evaluation project involving more than 150 participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities in St. Louis, Missouri. “Findings from this evaluation facilitated new organizational strategies to improve outcomes in vocational and community-based settings,” she reflected.
Social work was an appealing career and life path for Dr. Anderson because of its emphasis on multi-level interventions and attention to multiple-factors when addressing social challenges faced by vulnerable and underrepresented populations. Completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Truman State University, Dr. Anderson earned her MSW at Washington University at St. Louis. She also earned her doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin, her dissertation examining the prevalence, distribution and determinants of safety net benefit receipt among a nationwide sample of children with autism in the United States.
She is especially committed to the social work Code of Ethics and the commitment to research that promotes equity and social justice, bringing with her 7 years of research experience with the AJ Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University.
“I am committed to research that improves the lives of individuals and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities,” expounded Dr. Anderson. “My work spans the life course, from early childhood to late adulthood with an emphasis on those who live at the intersection of multiple identities, including race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.”
Dr. Anderson’s research specifically focuses on exploring the prevalence, distribution and determinants of economic hardship among autistic children and adults. She also places an emphasis on identifying factors that influence disparate health outcomes and social determinants across the life course, with particular emphasis on Medicaid and antipoverty programs.
As much emphasis as she places on impactful research, Dr. Anderson also enjoys teaching and mentoring the next generation of social workers and helping professionals. “I enjoy teaching research methods to undergraduate and graduate students because these courses are oftentimes students’ first exposure to research concepts and evidence-based practice. I want students to get excited about the topic, and to feel confident and proud of their competency in this area,” she emphasized.
She is currently a mentor for the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health Scholar’s Program, which provides seed funding for early career researchers. Her teaching experience also includes teaching research methods at both Southern Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut, as well as a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work and the psychology department at the University of Massachusetts, Amhurst.
“My teaching philosophy rests on the core premise that learning occurs when students are engaged as active participants in the learning process,” said Dr. Anderson. Her teaching approach includes using discussion-based methods over traditional lectures, collaborative learning activities and materials tailored to student interests and skills. This fall at FSU, she will teach Introduction to Social Work Research using these methods and looks forward to mentoring and collaborating with students at all levels interested in disability-related issues.
She is excited to be a member of the FSU College of Social Work, drawn particularly to the collaborative nature of the research at the college and university level, along with the college- and university-wide commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.