Areas I Teach
Areas of Research & Specialization
I am passionate about conducting research that raises awareness and improves the lives of individuals and their communities. My research is guided by the ethos by, with, and for the community and explores LGBTQ health equity and wellbeing with a specialization in participatory action research with trans and nonbinary populations.
Current and ongoing research projects include:
- Legal epidemiology of LGBTQIA-related federal, state, and local legislation across all 50 states and D.C.
- PhotoVoice study of nonbinary community belonging
- Supporting students' research projects
Education
Ph.D. in Social Work, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN (2022)
MSW, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN (2015)
BA, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (2003)
AA, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH (2001)
Why I Study Social Work
My motivation to be a positive impact on my communities led me to social work. Before entering social work, I was involved in mutual aid (such as volunteering at food not bombs and nonprofits) and activism. Earning my Masters of Social Work strengthened my ability to engage in this work and pursue additional roles in changing systems through community organizing and advocacy. After graduating, I contributed to the development and programming of Indiana’s first adolescent gender health program. I applied the therapeutic skills I learned to facilitate groups for trans and nonbinary individuals. The confidence I gained in policy analysis and community organizing has bolstered my advocacy for inclusive and affirming organizational policy and engagement in public speaking against harmful legislation. Importantly, I met colleagues in social work classes and practice that has become life-long collaborators. For me, social work has led to opportunities and personal tenacity to fight for and contribute to a better world.
What I Would Tell a Student Considering Social Work
Come and speak with us! Reach out to me and other social work faculty to discuss your interests and see if social work is a good fit for you. I think you might be surprised by the range of social work practice opportunities. The variety of social work practice provides flexibility and adaptability to the skills you will learn to address challenges across communities and contexts. I would add that social work is a profession grounded in values – social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, service, and competence – and, therefore, can change how one sees the world. Earning an MSW can be transformational, both personally and professionally.
Published Works
Dissertation
Kinney, M. K. (2021). (Publication No. 28647919) [Doctoral dissertation Indiana University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Authored Book
Kinney, M. K. (2025). (Q&A Health Guides). Bloomsbury Publishing.
Edited Book
Kattari, S. K., Kinney, M. K., Kattari, L., & Walls, N. E. (Eds.) (2020). (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis.
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Kiperman, S., Reardon, M., Walter-McCabe, H., Paff, M., Kinney, K., & Welland, J. (2024). The impact of the legal landscape on LGBTQ+ students and their school psychologists. Contemporary School Psychology, 29, 236-249.
Kinney, M. K., Victor, B. G., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2023). Conceptualizations of wellbeing among nonbinary individuals in the Midwestern United States: A PhotoVoice study. International Journal of Transgender Health, 25(3), 483-503.
Kinney, M. K., Cosgrove, D., Swafford, T., & Brandon-Friedman, R. A. (2023). “An institution can have good intentions and still be atrocious”: Transgender and gender expansive experiences in social work education. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare (Special Issue: Anti-Trans Policies & Social Work Education), 50(1), article 6.
Kinney, M. K., Pearson, T. E., & Ralston Aoki, J. (2022). Improving "life chances": Surveying the anti-transgender backlash, and offering a transgender equity impact assessment tool for policy analysis. Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics (Special Issue: Transgender Health Equity and the Law), 50(3), 489-508. [open access]
Kinney, M. K., & Cosgrove, D. (2022). “Truly listen to us”: Recommendations for health professionals to bolster wellbeing of nonbinary individuals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9032-9054. [open access]
Law Review Articles
Walter-McCabe, H. A., & Kinney, M. K. (2020). An argument for explicit public health rationale in LGBTQ antidiscrimination law as a tool for stigma reduction. Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy, 13(2), 147-174.
McCabe, H. A., & Kinney, M. K. (2019). LGBTQ+ individuals, health inequalities, and policy implications. Creighton Law Review, 52 (4), 427-450.
McCabe, H. A., Kinney, M. K., Quiring, S. Q., & Jerolimov, D. (2017). Expanding the base: A case for increased interprofessional collaboration in public health law and policy. Indiana Health Law Review, 14(1), 97-111.
*If you would like to read any of my publications and are unable to access it, please contact me for a copy.
Presentations
I present my work at social work conferences, namely the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Annual Planning Meeting and the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR), and gender and sexuality conferences. Posters from conference presentations can be found on my website. Additionally, I offer organizational training and consultation on LGBTQ-inclusive and affirming practice.
Honor & Awards
- 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University School of Social Work Alumni Association (08/2022)
- Postdoctoral fellowship at Wayne State University School of Social Work (06/2021-07/2022)
- Honorable mention for the 2022 SSWR book award (01/2022)
- Excellence in Teaching from the Indiana University School of Social Work (04/2018)
- Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellowship at Indiana University Adolescent Medicine (08/2017 – 08/2018)
- (awarded to the student with the highest ranking among all Elite 50 graduate student applicants) from the IUPUI Graduate Professional Student Government (04/2016)
- Elite 50 from the IUPUI Graduate Professional Student Government (04/2015)
from the Indiana University Purdue
University Center for Service and Learning (04/2015)
More information at