Heidi Rueda, PhD
- she/her
- John E. Christensen Community Chair in Child Welfare
- Grace Abbott School of Social Work, Associate Professor
General Information
Biography
Dr. Heidi Rueda is the John E. Christensen Community Chair in Child Welfare. She is a returning UNO alumnus, graduating in 2004 with degrees in Spanish and Psychology. She enjoys partnering with the community to raise awareness of teen dating violence and to educate adolescents with skills and knowledge to have healthy dating and peer relationships. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, singing, and collaging. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and four pets.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Rueda teaches Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE), as well as has taught courses in Spanish language, Program Evaluation, Field Seminar, and Ethics.
Research Interests
Dr. Rueda's research focuses on adolescent dating and sexual relationships within ecodevelopmental contexts, particularly among understudied youth populations including Mexican American youth, pregnant and parenting youth in foster care, and among adolescents with disabilities. Within a holistic approach to dating health, her work aims to prevent teen dating violence and to foster strong foundations for healthy adolescent and lifelong partnering. Dr. Rueda's research has been cited over 500 times in peer-reviewed journal articles and she has an h index of 12.
Service Summary
Dr. Rueda is on the Editorial Board for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) journal Children & Schools, and is a peer reviewer for many academic journals including top-tier interdisciplinary outlets. She is affiliated with a number of professional organizations, including the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) where she co-hosted the romantic relationships pre-conference. Her research involves community-based participatory methods, whereby she partners in service to the community to enact meaningful, evidence-informed, and lasting contributions.