Dr. Lauren Vollinger

After Lauren graduated Stagg in 2009, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at DePaul University and both a master’s degree and doctorate in Ecological-Community Psychology from University of Michigan, with research focusing on anti-human trafficking and human trafficking survivor advocacy. Dr. Vollinger serves as a psychologist, evaluator, consultant, and award-winning community-based researcher whose work centers on linking agencies together to bridge service-related gaps for survivors of human trafficking. Lauren’s research is the first of its kind that measures how people escaped their situation, not just what happened to them after they escaped. She intends to use this research as a way to evaluate programs and laws that pertain to human-trafficking survivors. By partnering with local and state anti-trafficking task forces, schools, and law enforcement, she has managed to create a better understanding of the inter-organizational needs of agencies to support survivors of trafficking in their communities. She is also passionate about incorporating the arts and creativity into research methods and social action. In her 2020 TedxTalk, “The Art of Amplifying Survivor Identities in Anti-Sex Trafficking Work,” she taught survivors to dance as a way of shaking “survivor” as their only label.