Tracy Hipp is a researcher, teacher, art lover, and dog mom, among many other things. She completed her Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Georgia State University. Currently she works as an ORISE Research Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the Division of Violence Prevention. She will be transitioning into a new professional role soon and is excited to get back to the important work of The Project.

Tracy, originally a dancer and artist, fell in love with research when she went back to school to study psychology. After years of working at a youth shelter, she decided to return to school in order to be able to do more for her community. Through community psychology, she has discovered ways to use research to improve policies, strengthen programs, and support communities addressing some of our most complex social problems, such as homelessness and violence. True to her artistic routes, she believes that narratives or storytelling are a powerful way to learn about the needs and experiences of women. She has also been known to use art and music in some of her research projects.

In addition to studying important social problems, Tracy is also interested in understanding the unique strengths that we each possess. Sometimes the solutions to social problems already exists within our very own communities – we just have to ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers. This strengths-based approach led her to the topic of resilience. Tracy believes that all women are resilient, and in sharing our stories of resilience we may be able to harness our collective power to build a better tomorrow.