Vera Institute of Justice

Leni Dworkis joined Vera's Center on Victimization and Safety in November 2015. Prior to joining Vera she served in research assistant and graduate teaching assistant roles exploring topics such as race relations, sex and gender, and technology at the George Washington University while completing her degree. In her master's thesis she sought to examine experiences beyond conventional norms and binaries through investigating the identity development of bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals. She assessed the utility of language and the impact of medicalization and labels of disabilities on identity formation and self-identification, finding both positive and negative consequences of both aspects. Her work advocates for increased fluidity and openness in social arrangements and structures to allow for personal growth and individual development. Leni earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.