Associate Professor
School of Social Work
Heather Larkin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, is Director of the National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services and the National Homelessness Social Work Initiative. She co-directs the Healthy Environments and Relationships That Support (HEARTS) Initiative for adverse childhood experiences (ACE) response through the national Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Project.
Dr. Larkin has researched the ACE prevalence in New York and among homeless people. She translates ACE knowledge into policy, programs, and practice and engages in collaborative, community-engaged research. She co-developed the Restorative Integral Support (RIS) model to guide an ACE Response strategy that integrates services within intentionally developed restorative contexts that foster resilience and recovery. A pioneer integrating the ACE Study with social work knowledge, she leads ACE Think Tank and Action Team meetings and works with agency directors to strengthen ACE Response through the MARC Project.
Dr. Larkin has been honored for her work by the New York State Council on Children and Families and the New York State Senate. She has received Exemplary Community Engagement awards and was named as a Sage Colleges Champion of Character Educator Leadership Award winner.