Amber Alaniz, M.S.W., L.M.S.W.

Ph.D. Student
Biography

Before returning to earn her M.S.W., Amber Alaniz worked in an array of social work experiences, including sexual violence prevention and education, domestic violence shelter advocate, and a supported community living house supervisor of multiple residential sites. She is interested in contributing to research in the areas of sexuality, health disparities, and mental health of people with disabilities. She is currently working on a project with Dr. Mercedes Bern-Klug evaluating the impact of quality of services for people in end-of-life care in nursing homes with family support. 

She enjoys being outside, going for walks, watching movies at the theater, and traveling. She lives with her partner/fiancé and 3 cats, their names are Walker, Arlo, and Willow Mae. Amber used to be a competitive dancer and occasionally still enjoy dancing for fun. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her parents, sister, and partner. She is also a member of Iowa’s Olmstead Consumer Taskforce to advocate for full inclusion of people with disabilities in many systems (i.e., housing, employment, transportation, healthcare, child welfare, criminal legal, etc.). 

Amber Alaniz
2016 B.A.S.W., University of Iowa
2021 M.S.W., University of Iowa