Sarah E. (Betsy) Bledsoe PhD, MPhil, MSW

Sarah E. “Betsy” Bledsoe, Ph.D., MPhil, MSW, is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. She is Co-Director of the National Initiative for Trauma Education and Workforce Development and a consultant with the Center for Adjustment, Resilience & Recovery – both part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She is also principal investigator of the Community Voices Project and Whole Robeson Together, both community based participatory research studies in partnership with families and service providers in Robeson County, N.C. She received a doctoral degree and masters of philosophy from Columbia University School of Social Work, a masters of social work from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee. Her research reflects over two decades of experience conducting community-based and national studies to strengthen the mental health of adults, adolescents, children and families, particularly those surviving poverty, discrimination and trauma. She has expertise in mental health services, intervention and implementation research with a focus on mood, anxiety, and trauma related disorders during the perinatal period and beyond. Her research has examined the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practice and empirically supported interventions with attention to the cultural adaptation of these practices to increase access to historically marginalized communities and populations including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color, individuals and families living in rural and urban areas, and individuals and families surviving poverty.

A community-engaged scholar, Dr. Bledsoe is dedicated to partnering with communities to strengthen the mental health of children, adults, families and communities. Her research and scholarship have been supported with funding from federal and state agencies, foundations, and private donors. Her research, clinical expertise, and certification as a practitioner, supervisor, and trainer in multiple empirically supported interventions inform her teaching and scholarship. She primarily teaches direct practice courses including brief treatment, interpersonal psychotherapy, and motivational interviewing.

Dr. Bledsoe has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, abstracts, and manuals, and has given over 295 peer-reviewed and invited presentations at national and international venues. A Society for Social Work and Research Fellow, her work has been recognized with awards from the Office of the UNC-CH Provost, UNC School of Social Work, UNC Center for Global Initiatives, Council on Social Work Education, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, and the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. She has been a Guest Professor at the University of Toronto, University of Maryland at Baltimore, and Renmin University, Beijing, China. Additionally, she has been a consulting editor for Social Work Research and Social Work and has served on the editorial review board of Research on Social Work Practice, Social Work in Mental Health, and Social Work in Health Care.