School of Education

Kristin Hamre, PhD, MSW, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research focuses on policies and practices to support individuals with disabilities and their families across the life course. She focuses on disability policy and services, guardianship issues, family experiences, autism, and the intersections of disability with culture, health and human rights. Specific research projects focus on less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, health promotion and outcomes for families with children with autism and related intellectual and developmental disabilities, and systemic supports for families with members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has presented her research internationally, nationally, and locally, as well as given invited talks on topics such as ethics and health and human rights related to disability issues, and working with communities and estimating autism prevalence.

Hamre received the IU Trustees Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in 2021. She holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota, and a Graduate Certificate in Disability Policy and Services from the University of Minnesota; she also completed a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship. Hamre holds an undergraduate degree (majors: English, Psychology, Women's Studies) from St. Olaf College (majors: English, Psychology, Women’s Studies). Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University, Dr. Hamre served as Director of the MN-ADDM, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, a federally-funded program providing national prevalence estimates on children with autism spectrum disorder. In this capacity, her research focused on autism in the Twin Cities Somali community. Among her practice experience is working with adults with substance abuse and mental health conditions, and working with families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan.