Bio:

Judith L. M. McCoyd (Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College- GSSWSR, 2003; MSSW, Columbia University- GSSW, 1985) is an associate professor at Rutgers University's School of Social Work. Her research lies at the intersection of perinatal health care, medical technologies, decision-making and bereavement. Specifically, Dr. McCoyd explores the decisions to use prenatal diagnostic technologies, whether to continue a pregnancy affected by fetal anomalies, and the adaptation process after that decision.  Her current research is mixed method, gathering prospective scale survey data followed by intensive interviews with women who test positive for fetal anomaly. She recently examined the association of relationship stability with care burdens among parents of children with disabilities (using the National Survey of Children and Families SSI data). Funding for the varied research projects came from the American Assn. of University Women, the Silberman Fund and a Rutgers University Research Council Grant.

Dr. McCoyd's research provides direct analysis, yet is also used to develop theory about social work practice, decision making and normative culture, and evolving qualitative methodology. She is a licensed clinical social worker (PA) who maintains a small clinical practice and serves in leadership roles with the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers. She co-authored Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan: A Biopsychosocial Perspective (Springer 2009) and her research and theory have been published in Qualitative Health Research, the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Social Work.