Amy's CV (PDF)

Amy B. Smoyer is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Simmons University. Her program of research uses qualitative methods to examine women’s lived experience of incarceration and the impact of this experience on psychosocial and health outcomes.  Specifically, her practice focuses on food-related wellness, hygiene/toilet justice, and HIV care and prevention. This work is conducted in collaboration with community-based agencies and justice-involved women in New Haven (CT), Montgomery (AL) and Galicia (Spain).

Amy's current research explores the impact of criminal-legal changes during COVID on the HIV risk behaviors of justice-involved women (NIDA/NIH 1R15DA056285-01). She is also is writing about her interviews with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in Alabama.

Dr. Smoyer brings a global perspective to her inquiry about prison life. With the support of the Fulbright Scholar program, she has conducted research with incarcerated women in Denmark (2013) and Spain (2025).

Amy has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Recent publication explore experiences of sexual minority people in women’s correctional facilities, women’s access and use of toilets during and after incarceration, and stigma among incarcerated people living with HIV. 

As a faculty member at Simmons, Amy teaches Introduction to Social Work, Public Policy, and Program Evaluation in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Her pedagogy focuses on interactive group learning and experiential activities. Prior to joining the Simmons faculty in 2025, she was a tenured faculty member at Southern Connecticut State University (2015-2025) and a Research Associate at Yale School of Public Health (2003 - 2013). Amy is a certified Inside-Out instructor and taught in Manson Youth Institution, a correctional facility for young men in CT, for three years (2017-2019).