Aislinn Conrad CV

Aislinn Conrad, PhD, LMSW, is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Iowa and a nationally recognized scholar in the areas of child abuse prevention, economic hardship, and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in social systems. Her research sits at the intersection of innovation, equity, and care—advancing tools and insights that reduce family surveillance while promoting well-being.

Dr. Conrad leads multiple interdisciplinary, community-engaged projects focused on preventing harm and improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families. She is the principal investigator on iCare, a cutting-edge AI prototype that uses motion capture to detect physical violence in real time. Her broader portfolio includes federally funded evaluations of infant-toddler court programs, initiatives to address material hardship, and projects that reimagine how public systems support families under stress.

With a background as a frontline child welfare worker and over a decade of experience as an evaluator and academic, Dr. Conrad brings a practitioner’s urgency and a visionary’s imagination to her work. She is committed to fostering collaborative solutions that are ethically sound, trauma-informed, and grounded in lived expertise.

Virtual Office Hours

Mondays/Wednesdays, 3:00 - 4:00 pm & by appointment
Via Zoom: https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/93263172420?pwd=bStPMjlLM3kwOU94Ukc1OE5ONy83dz09 / password: SWHBSE

Research Interests

Child wellbeing; child maltreatment prevention; contextual factors of child maltreatment; poverty; material hardship; structural equation modeling

Recent Publications

• Wojciak AS, Butcher B, Conrad A, Coohey C, Oral R, Peek-Asa C. Trends, Diagnoses, and Hospitalization Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States of America. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 16;18(14):7585. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147585. PMID: 34300039; PMCID: PMC8305453.
• Conrad, A., Butcher, B., Oral, R., Ronnenberg, M.*, & Peek-Asa, C. (Accepted). Trends in Shaken Baby Syndrome diagnoses among young children hospitalized for abuse. Injury Epidemiology. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-22246/v1
• Wojciak, A. S., Butcher, B., Conrad, A., Coohey, C., Oral, R., & Peek-Asa, C. (Accepted). National trends in child abuse and neglect hospitalization rates and costs. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health: Traumas.
• Bosk, E., Van Scoyoc, A., Mihalec-Adkins, B., Conrad, A., Hanson, K., & Chaiyachati, B. (Accepted). Integrating responses to caregiver substance misuse, intimate partner violence and child maltreatment: Initiatives and policies that support families at risk for entering the child welfare system. Aggression and Violent Behavior.
• Oral, R., Coohey, C., Zarei, K., Conrad, A., Nielsen, A., Wibbenmeyer, L., Segal, R., Wojciak, A. S., Jennissen, C., & Peek-Asa, C. (2021). Nationwide efforts for trauma-informed care implementation and workforce development in healthcare and related fields: A systematic review. Turkish Journal of Pediatrics.    
• Conrad, A., Gamboni, C., Johnson, V., Wojciak, A. S., & Ronnenberg, M. (2020). Has the US child welfare system become an informal income maintenance programme?: A literature review. Child Abuse Review. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2607
• Conrad-Hiebner, A., & Byram, E. (2020). The temporal impact of economic insecurity on child maltreatment: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(1), 157-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018756122 

Teaching Areas

Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Advanced Practicum Seminar for Integrated Practice, Introduction to Social Work Research

Work Experience

In my work with children and families, I have investigated allegations of abuse and neglect, validated instruments, coordinated programs, and provided case management.