BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH - 2013
Lee Ann Hoff is a nurse-anthropologist and mental health professional with extensive clinical, management, teaching, research, and consulting experience in crisis and mental health care, women's health, and socio-cultural issues affecting health. Degrees: PhD--Boston University; MA/Diploma--London School of Economics; Fellowship (one year), Crisis and Suicidology--Johns Hopkins University; MSN--Catholic University of America; BSN--St. Louis University. Current and earlier work includes: 1) international consultation and teaching on violence, crisis, and gender issues; 2) curriculum development for health and social service professionals on crisis and violence issues; 3) developing on-line courses on workplace violence and abuse, and on social, cultural & policy issues in health care; 4) developing and directing crisis service programs; 5) development of and major teaching in a masters degree program--advanced practice psychiatric/mental health nursing; 6) research with women and their families in crisis and the interface between violence, victimization and suicide. Research expertise: Field methods, focus groups, cross-cultural immersion; outcome studies.
Dr. Hoff pioneered in the development of community mental health centers and specialized crisis services in the USA, and has conducted numerous continuing education courses and interdisciplinary workshops nationally and internationally for health and mental health professionals, police officers, paraprofessionals, and the general public. A current focus is on building bridges between socio-cultural theory and health/mental health practice arenas, and on violence prevention and crisis care in international cross-cultural arenas.
Acknowledging her work in initiating and developing national standards for crisis programs, the American Association of Suicidology bestowed on her its first national service award in 1985. Dr. Hoff spearheaded the certification program for individual crisis workers. In 2000 she received an Honorary Recognition Award from the American Nurses Association for her work on violence issues.
Dr. Hoff has developed and taught courses in the U.S., Canada, and Portugal: Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing; Social, Cultural & Policy Issues in Health Care; Community Mental Health; Crisis Theory & Practice; Anthropology of Health; Women's Health; Theory, Role, Research, and Contemporary Issues in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. University departments include nursing, psychology, anthropology, sociology and women's studies. Workshop programs include: Crisis Intervention; Suicide and Violence against others (assessment, prevention, intervention); Loss, Grief, and Mourning; Women's Health; Trainer-Training in Crisis Care; The Multi-agency Client; and related titles. Dr. Hoff is a presenter at national and international conferences in public health, women's health, nursing, psychiatry, suicidology, victimology. and applied anthropology.
Publications include the award-winning book, People in Crisis: Clinical and Diversity Perspectives. 6th Ed. (2009, Routledge, NY); Battered Women As Survivors (1990, Routledge, UK); Violence and Abuse Issues: Cross-cultural Perspectives for Health and Social Services ( 2010, Routledge, UK); Psychiatric & Mental Health Essentials in Primary Care (2011, with Betty Morgan—Routledge, UK); Crisis Education and Service Program Designs (2012, with Miracle Hoff, Routledge, NY); Crisis: How to Help Yourself and Others in Distress or Danger (in process with Oxford University Press); and numerous other works.
Currently, Dr. Hoff is Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences; Visiting Professor, ISPA (Institute for Applied Psychology), Lisbon, Portugal; author/lead researcher on Workplace Violence Prevention, a $750,000 NIOSH-funded online education course (August 2012); is a member of several professional organizations; and is active in peace and anti-violence movements.