Iris Cardenas is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and a faculty associate at the Center for Behavioral Health and Well-Being. She specializes in intimate partner violence (IPV) research, focusing on trauma-informed and culturally responsive interventions for Latine/x communities. Her goal is to promote trauma-informed, culturally responsive services to prevent and address the consequences of IPV and mitigate the social and health disparities in this population.

Dr. Cardenas earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Rutgers University, where her dissertation on formal help-seeking among IPV survivors received the 2022 Dean’s Dissertation Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research. She also holds an M.S.W. in Management and Policy from Rutgers and a B.A. in Psychology from New Jersey City University. Before joining the University of Maryland, she completed a research assistantship program with the National Institute of Justice. 

She has published her work in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Psychology of Violence, among other journals, and has presented at national and international conferences. Her work has been featured in Insider, The Latin Times, and Rutgers Today for highlighting disparities in IPV experiences and services for the Latine/x community. 

Dr. Cardenas's work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2024 Dean’s Teaching Award at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Through her research, teaching, and service, Dr. Cardenas is committed to advancing knowledge on IPV, mentoring future social work professionals, and promoting survivor-centered, culturally responsive approaches in the field.