Lauren Manley

Lauren Manley is a PhD candidate at the Rutgers School of Social Work. She holds a BS in genetics from Texas A&M University, an MS in medical microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida, and an MSW from Rutgers University, where she is completing her PhD. Lauren served in the Texas Army National Guard and the U.S. Army. Her military service, and particularly her work as an Army sexual assault victim advocate, motivated her to pursue a career in social work. She is currently completing her dissertation, A multi-methods exploratory study examining the lived experiences of women student veterans with military sexual trauma. This study integrates data from surveys with embedded validated scales, interviews, and salivary stress biomarkers to holistically examine participants' lived experiences, service needs, stress, and coping.

In addition to her dissertation work, Lauren conducts research on maternal morbidity and workplace mistreatment. She served as the lead data analyst on a project that used machine learning techniques to predict maternal morbidity using pre-pregnancy medical claims and social determinant data; this project won second place in the NIH Maternal Health Challenge in 2024. Her research has been published in journals focused on healthcare, sociology, and violence. Lauren has taught sociology courses at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and in the BASW program at Rutgers University.