Dr. Cook Heffron is an Assistant Professor of Social Work in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. She has interest and expertise in the areas of forced migration, domestic and sexual violence, and human trafficking. Laurie has both direct social work practice and research experience with a variety of communities, including refugees, asylum-seekers, trafficked persons, and other immigrants. Her recent research explores the experiences of, and relationships between, violence against women and migration, with a focus on migration from Central America to the United States. Laurie studied Linguistics at Georgetown University and earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) and Doctorate in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin. Laurie is, above all, a mother of two energetic and creative children.