Leso Munala

Dr. Leso Munala is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Master of Social Work from the University of Chicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy & Practice. Her research examines violence against women and children across the lifespan, with a focus on understanding how individual, family, social, and structural factors influence intimate partner violence and help-seeking among marginalized survivors. Dr. Munala's work spans East Africa and U.S. immigrant communities, addressing critical gaps in systemic barriers to care and the role of cultural norms in shaping survivors' experiences. Her current project examines the intersection of climate change and gender-based violence in Kenya.