Associate Professor Emiko A. Tajima’s scholarship focuses on the problem of interpersonal violence, seeking to identify points of intersection, cross-systems issues and to build knowledge regarding specialized populations to improve policies and service provision for victims and their children. Dr. Tajima is the executive director of Partners for Our Children.

Dr. Tajima is committed to enhancing violence prevention and intervention, particularly for marginalized groups such as racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant and refugee populations. Her approach to these issues is shaped by her interdisciplinary background, which includes a BA in sociology, MS in criminology and PhD in social work, as well as direct service experience with victims of family violence. 

Her scholarship is also informed by her practice background as a legal advocate for victims of domestic violence in family court, where she helped clients navigate across systems to obtain mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, housing, immigration assistance and many other social services.

Dr. Tajima joined the School of Social Work faculty in 1999. She served as the School’s MSW program director from 2006 to 2011 and as the associate dean for academic affairs from 2011 to 2017.