Mary Twis

MSW Program Director and Associate Professor Texas Christian University

  • Fort Worth TX

Dr. Twis specializes in research on human trafficking.

Contact

Texas Christian University

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Biography

Mary Twis is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at TCU, where she researches human trafficking prevention and intervention strategies. She has specific subject matter expertise in sex trafficking, having published over 30 refereed articles and presented at over 25 international and national conferences on the topic. Twis is a licensed social worker with 15 years of experience as a researcher, educator and collaborator with nonprofits and public sector agencies involved in anti-trafficking efforts.

Areas of Expertise

Human Trafficking
Youth Sex Trafficking
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking
Homelessness and Human Trafficking
Violence and Human Trafficking
Trauma
Trauma Informed Care
Violence Prevention
Program Evaluation

Accomplishments

Award Winner & University Nominee, Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences Research and Creativity Award

2024

Social Work Department Nominee, Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences Research and Creativity Award

2023

TCU Nominee, Moore Inventor Fellowship Program

2022

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Education

University of Texas at Arlington

Ph.D.

Social Work

2018

University of Texas at Arlington

MSSW

Social Work

2010

Texas State University

BSW

Social Work

2007

Affiliations

  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Society for Social Work and Research
  • National Association of Social Workers
  • Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society
  • Phi Alpha Honors Society

Media Appearances

New Look At Factors That May Lead To Sex Trafficking

The Dallas Express  online

2024-09-01

Tarrant County’s 5 Stone Taskforce’s recent meeting featured research from a local sex trafficking educational leader on what drives trafficking to different communities.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Mary Twis from Texas Christian University (TCU).

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Overcoming the Complexities of Trafficking Recovery

The Academic Minute  online

2024-08-29

On Texas Christian University Week: Sex trafficking survivors face a long and complex recovery. Mary Twis, master of social work program director and associate professor, determines what brings about best outcomes.

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Bipartisan bill would require human trafficking hotline to be posted in every U.S. port of entry

The 19 th News  online

2022-12-02

Mary Twis, an assistant professor of social work at Texas Christian University who studies and has worked with sex trafficking survivors, said the increased signage will certainly raise awareness among the public and will hopefully lead to more arrests. However, she said, the government needs to work towards “reducing systemic inequalities” that lead to the targeting of “entire subpopulations of people.”

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Event Appearances

A qualitative exploration of sex trafficking myths in Israeli newspaper media

2025 | Society for Social Work and Research  Seattle, WA

Built and social environmental risk and protective factors associated with youth sex trafficking

2025 | Society for Social Work and Research  Seattle, WA

Coping self-efficacy and social support as predictors of adolescent sex trafficking exit: Results of a longitudinal study

2023 | Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conferen  Phoenix, AZ

Research Grants

TCU Invests in Scholarship Grant

TCU Office of Sponsored Program

2022

Equity Project

Contractor Tarrant County Homeless Coalition

2020

Junior Faculty Summer Research Program

TCU Office of Sponsored Program

2020

Articles

Coping self-efficacy and social support as predictors of adolescent sex trafficking exit: Results of a secondary analysis

PLOS ONE

2024

Social work case management services are increasingly available to youth who want to exit commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). However, few empirical studies investigate the efficacy of such services, particularly whether these services promote an exit from CSE. Guided by ecological systems theory and the Intentions to Exit Prostitution (IEP) model, this study investigates the efficacy of social work case management services for youth CSE survivors.

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Beyond Victim Identification: A Practitioner’s Guide to Designing a Youth Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocacy Program

Social Work in Public Health

2024

Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year in the United States. In order to address this concern, anti-trafficking advocates often emphasize the importance of uniform screening protocols to assist with the identification of survivors. Unfortunately, an oft-overlooked component of sex trafficking identification is what to do once a victim has been identified, and how to best meet survivors’ complex needs.

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Perceptions of homelessness and housing solutions: a web-based survey methodology to inform local housing policy

Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness

2023

Discrepancies between homelessness perception and reality, as well as policymakers’ assumptions about their constituents’ perceptions, may contribute to policies that exacerbate homelessness and its negative outcomes. To counter these discrepancies, this manuscript introduces a mixed-methods, cross-sectional research protocol that is designed to assess local community member perceptions of and attitudes towards homelessness and potential housing solutions.

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