Faculty and Staff

Manisha Joshi, Ph.D., MPH, MSW Associate Professor Phone: 813-974-6685 Office: MHC 1422 Send email

Dr. Manisha Joshi is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, where her work exemplifies a deep commitment to addressing global health challenges, particularly violence against women and children (VAWC). She holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice, an MS in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, and an MSW from the University of Delhi, India. With a joint appointment in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida (USF), Dr. Joshi also serves as a Senior Research Scientist with the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence.

Dr. Joshi’s research centers on VAWC, a critical issue globally. She is the co-founder and Director of the USF School of Social Work Interdisciplinary Lab (SWIRL) for prevention of VAWC and promotion of mental health in global settings. This lab fosters inter-professional collaboration across disciplines, offering interdisciplinary training to students in social work, public health, biomedical sciences, psychology and other fields, with the goal of cultivating collaborative, patient-centered care practices. In 2021, Dr. Joshi, in collaboration with Dr. Panchanadeswaran, secured a grant from Adelphi University to conduct a qualitative study on the access and utilization of services by immigrant South Asian women survivors of intimate partner violence. This research also involved interviewing both mainstream and South Asian service providers to gain insights into the barriers these survivors face in receiving care. In 2018, she and Dr. Rahill were awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Grand Challenges grant for their study, Krik Krak: Mental Health for Pregnant Haitian Teens. Furthermore, Dr. Joshi’s leadership in global health education was recognized through the prestigious India-U.S. 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Award  2016-2019, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and India’s University Grants Commission, which funded the establishment of an Indigenous Studies Field School for Global Exchange in Northeast India. She has also served as a co-investigator in an R24 grant (2013-2018) - SHARE Haiti: Syndemics HIV/AIDS Research and Education funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Joshi has a track record in both qualitative and quantitative research, with her work published in leading peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Public Health, Psychology of Women Quarterly, Journal of Affective Disorders, and Social Work in Health Care. Her academic contributions are further highlighted by her active membership in the Council on Social Work Education, the Society for Social Work Research, and the American Public Health Association, where she and her students frequently present their research.

In the classroom, Dr. Joshi is a dedicated educator, teaching a range of undergraduate and graduate courses including social work educator, social work macro practice, research and statistics, and introduction to social work. She is a passionate advocate for global social work education, and in 2014, she co-developed and led the first study abroad program focused on the sociocultural context of health in Northeast India for the USF School of Social Work. Following the success of the India program, Dr. Joshi and Dr. Iraida Carrion launched another study abroad program in Spain in 2017. They celebrated a decade of Study Abroad initiatives for the USF School of Social Work in 2023.

Dr. Joshi’s contributions to teaching and education have been widely recognized. In 2019, she was honored with the USF Student Success/Academic Excellence Award and the USF Ambassadors Apple Polishing Award, the latter being sponsored by the USF Alumni Association. Her outstanding teaching was further acknowledged with the USF System-wide Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award for 2015-2016, a testament to her excellence across all USF campuses.