Dr. Kristina Lovato, PhD, MSW, joined the School of Social Welfare as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2022 and is also a member of the UC Berkeley Cluster on Latinxs and Democracy. Prior to joining Berkely Social Welfare she held a tenure-track faculty appointment in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach (2017-2022).
Dr. Lovato’s scholarly work focuses on enhancing Latinx child and family well-being particularly among immigrant families at risk of immigration enforcement and/or public child welfare involvement. Her research employs intersectional qualitative methodological approaches to examine the impact of punitive immigration policies on Latinx immigrant families who have experienced a forced family separation due to detention/deportation. Her research aims to better understand the lived experiences of Latinx communities in order to develop culturally responsive policies, systems, and services to enhance child and family wellbeing.
Publications:
Lovato, K., & Abrams, L.S. (Accepted-In Press, September 2022). A qualitative examination of service utilization among Latinx immigrant families following a deportation-related family separation. Child Welfare Journal.
Lovato, K., Finno-Velasquez, M., Sepp, S., Ramirez, J., Mendoza, V., Mekonen, R.H.
(2022). The impact of COVID-19 and immigration enforcement on service delivery for immigrant origin families involved in the child welfare system. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1-14.
Lovato, K., & Ramirez, J. (2022). Addressing the social service needs
of Latinx families impacted by COVID-19 and immigration related stressors. Journal of Social Service Research, 1-15.
Nourazari, S., Lovato, K., Weng, S. (2021). Making the case for proactive strategies to
alleviate homelessness: A systems approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020526
Ramirez, J. & Lovato, K. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on Latinx immigrant children
and families: A call to action. COVID-19 and Child Welfare: Challenges and Responses
CWLA (Child Welfare League of America), Pp. 35-40.
Lovato, K., Abrams, L.S. (2020). Enforced separations: A qualitative examination of
how Latinx families cope with family disruption following the deportation of a parent. Families in Society, 1-17.
Lovato, K. (2019). Forced separations: A qualitative examination of how Latinx adolescents cope with parental deportation. Children and Youth Services Review, 98,
42-50.
Lovato, K., Lopez, C., Karimli, L., Abrams, L. (2018). The impact of deportation
related family separations on the well-being of Latinx children and youth: A review of the
literature. Children and Youth and Services Review, 95, 109-116.
Lovato-Hermann, K., Dellor, E., Tam, C., Curry, S. R., & Freisthler, B. (2017). Racial disparities in service referrals for families in the child welfare system. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 11(2)1-17. doi.10.1080/15548732.2016.1251372
Enano, S., Freisthler, B., Perez-Johnson, D., Lovato-Hermann, K. (2016). Evaluating parents
in partnership: A Preliminary study of a child welfare intervention designed to increase reunification. Journal of Social Service Research, 1-10. doi: 10.1080/01488376.2016.1253634
Lovato-Hermann, K. (2015). Crossing the border to find home: A
Gendered perspective of the separation and reunification experiences of Mexican immigrant young adults in the U.S. Journal of International Social Work, 59, 1-15.
doi: 10.1177/0020872815611197
Dellor, E., Lovato-Hermann, K, Price, J., Curry, S. Friesthler, B. (2015).
Introducing technology into child welfare. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 33(4), 330-344. doi: 10.1080/15228835.2015.1107520
