Marsha Zibalese Crawford, PhD, MSW, is an associate professor with a secondary appointment in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies.  She combines a focus on the needs of women, children and adolescence with a wide array of experience developing organizational partnerships in the community, both public and private.  Her community-based participatory research (CBPR) focus provides her the unique opportunity to apply and test theory in a practical setting in the US and globally (e.g. Israel), as well as present the results at conferences, through trainings/workshops, and roundtables.   Her most recent publication is:  Urban Communities and Human Services, A Study on the Preparedness of Medical Social Workers in the Treatment of Adolescent Alcohol Abusers, and Non-profit/NGO capacity building and sustainability in a global context. 

Dr. Zibalese Crawford is currently the principal investigator for the Bedouin Women’s Voices Barometer in Negev, Israel.  She is the co-investigator for the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Temple University translational research on interventions for adolescents in the Juvenile Justice System: TRIALS.  She is co-investigator/evaluator for the training grant – “ACE IT: Advanced Clinical Education and Inter-professional Training Program” (HRSA/DHHS).  During the past five years, she was principal evaluator/researcher for the following violence and/or substance abuse studies:  National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention - Gap Analysis, City of Philadelphia;  Evaluation of DBHIDS prevention and early intervention community an organization behavioral health disparities project; City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Restorative Justice program;  the evaluator/researcher for the Drug Free Communities grant funded by the Federal Office of National Drug Control Strategy and SAMHSA; and the DBHiDS/OAS prevention study. Dr. Zibalese Crawford was also the lead researcher for the City of Philadelphia Report Card on the Well–being of Children and Youth from 1999-2007. 

Dr. Zibalese Crawford is the recipient of the 2015 Temple University Outstanding Faculty Service Award, School of Social Work. She is a fellow of the National Israel on Campus Coalition Academic Network.  Her areas of teaching include substance abuse/addictions, community and organizational theory, resource development, macro practice, program evaluation, and social policy.