Laurenia Mangum

Laurenia Mangum, is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelors of Social Work (2009), and Masters of Social Work (2011), with a specialty in clinical practice. Mangum earned a Graduate Certificate in Public Health with an Emphasis on HIV/AIDS in the Rural South (2017), from the University of Florida. Mangum is a licensed master’s level social worker in the state of Virginia.

Mangum’s professional social work experiences have centered on promoting optimal health outcomes for underserved minority populations in an array of arenas including child welfare, maternal child health, community health, and community development. After earning her MSW, Mangum served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. Over a two year period, Mangum worked closely with governmental agencies and local partners to create sustainable programs, which alleviated impacts of social determinants of health affecting women and children. During that time, Mangum managed three grant-funded prevention projects focusing on HIV/AIDS, adolescent maternal-child health, and healthy housing. After returning to the United States, Mangum worked with minority families of low-income/under-resourced communities involved in the child welfare system. Mangum’s most recent professional experience as a Community Health Worker Network Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Health, highlights the current push for community engagement and multidisciplinary collaborations to innovatively promote healthy living among our most vulnerable populations. 

Mangum’s research interests include, maternal child health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and child maltreatment prevention. More specifically, Mangum is interested in studying maternal well-being as an indicator for child maltreatment and the use of multilevel support systems among HIV positive African-American women. Mangum’s secondary research interest is PrEP use among African American women.

Selected Awards and Fellowships

Coverdell Fellowship (2018), University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health