Kristina Lovato, PhD, MSW, joined the School of Social Welfare as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2022, and is a member of the UC Berkeley Cluster on Latinxs and Democracy. Her scholarly work focuses on enhancing Latinx child and family well-being among immigrant families at risk of immigration enforcement and/or public child welfare involvement. Her research aims to better understand the lived experiences of Latinx communities in order to develop policies, systems and services that are culturally responsive and increase equity for all children and families.
Dr. Lovato’s research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. In addition to scholarly publications, she has written for popular policy-oriented media sites such as: The Hill.com and presented at multiple immigration and social welfare related symposiums and national conferences. As a community-engaged researcher and educator, Dr. Lovato draws upon over 12 years of clinical experience serving diverse families as a bilingual clinical social worker. Dr. Lovato earned a doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an MSW from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of California.
