Keren Escobar

Assistant Professor of Social Work
Ph.D., University of Windsor
[email protected]
(248) 370-2425
511A Varner

Dr. Keren M. Escobar joined OU as an assistant professor of social work, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Windsor, Canada. Her extensive clinical experience and dedication to empowering individuals and communities through evidence-based interventions and culturally sensitive practices enrich her teaching and research. Escobar’s scholarship particularly focuses on the experiences of Latin American communities in Canada, examining public health and human development inequities through the lenses of critical race theory and intersectionality. Her pedagogical approach is characterized by a commitment to active learning and critical thinking, preparing students to be effective, engaged social workers. Escobar's personal journey as an immigrant refugee from El Salvador further enriches her perspective, aligning seamlessly with the social work program’s emphasis on social justice and diversity.

Courses Taught

• Advanced Practice w/Individual Family Groups
• Foundations Multicultural Social Work
• Social Welfare Policies

Selected Publications

• Escobar, K.M. (2023, submitted). Systematic review of Latin American mental health in Canada. Social Work in Mental Health.
• Escobar, K. M., & Gorey, K. M. (2023, submitted). Culturally sensitive interventions with substance abusing Latino Youths: A meta-analytic research note. Social Work Research
• Escobar, K. M., Sivaram, M., Gorey, K. M., Luginaah, I. N., Kanjeekal, S. M., & Wright, F. C. (2020). Colon cancer care of Hispanic people in California: Paradoxical barrio protections greatest among vulnerable populations. Journal of Public Health Research, 9, 255-258
• Escobar, K. M., Murariu, D., Munro, S., & Gorey, K. M. (2019). Care of acute conditions and chronic diseases in Canada and the United States: Rapid systematic review and meta- analysis. Journal of Public Health Research, 8, 1479
• Escobar, K. M., Sivaram, M., & Gorey, K. M. (2019). Advantages of Hispanic men living in Hispanic enclaves: Intersectionality in colon cancer care. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 46, 37-48.
• Escobar, K.M., & Gorey, K. M. (2018) Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety Disorders: Rapid Review Suggestion of Larger Effects among Hispanic than Non-Hispanic White People. Journal of Social Service Research, 44(2), 132-140.
• Escobar, K. M., & Gorey, K. M. (2018). Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for depression among Hispanic people: Promising meta-analytic evidence for deep cultural adaptations. Social Work in Mental Health, 16, 743-755.