Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, PhD

Affiliation: Arizona State University, Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research

Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, PhD, is a social scientist focused on developing innovative research and methods to research emerging social issues, especially those affecting girls and women. Her scholarship is grounded in theories and methods exploring relationship dynamics, the impact of traumatic experiences, and intervention development. She is a nationally recognized expert on human trafficking. In 2018, Dr. Roe-Sepowitz presented a TedX Hidden in Plain Sight: Sex Trafficking Next Door. She is an Associate Professor at the Arizona State University School of Social Work and the founder and director of the ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research. She leads initiatives working with partners including law enforcement, social service providers, and survivor support organizations. Dr. Roe-Sepowitz is also the Clinical Director of Phoenix Starfish Place, a HUD funded supportive permanent housing program for sex trafficking women and their children. She is the Principal Investigator on a numerous state and federal grants and is a Co-Principal Investigator on a five-year National Science Foundation Grant exploring illicit networks that facilitate human trafficking. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Human Trafficking and has more than 40 peer review publications. Dr. Roe-Sepowitz was interviewed in the 2019 PBS Frontline documentary Sex Trafficking in America.

Research Interests:

  • Sex Trafficking                                    

  • Violence Against Women

  • Labor Trafficking                                            

  • Therapeutic Needs of Exploited Persons

  • Interventions for Victims of Violence

  • Prostitution and the Exiting Experience

  • Homeless and Runaway Young Adults                      

  • Innovative Interventions to Treat PTSD