Denise A. Hines, Clark University Research Assistant Professor of Psychology, was one of twelve experts called upon to participate in the Roundtable of Family Dynamics of the Senate of Canada, a symposium chaired by Senator Anne Cools in May at Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

“Senator Cools believes in the use of research evidence to guide Canada’s laws, and in this case, she focused on laws regarding divorce, child custody, and domestic violence,” Hines said. “I was asked to present my work on male victims of domestic violence, along with research and policy implications of my work.”

Hines participated in a panel called “Domestic and Family Violence,” and discussed “Overlooked Victims of Domestic Violence: Men.” To read Hines’ report, click here.

All of the Roundtable proceedings, presentation slides, and papers will be published as a book to become a lasting document and record of the Roundtable, and to be used as reference to revise and update Canada’s laws on divorce, child custody, and domestic violence. This book should be completed at the end of the summer.

Hines is the principal investigator on the Men’s Experiences with Partner Aggression Project, a study on men who sustain intimate partner violence. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, aims to understand the experiences and needs of men who sustain partner violence from their female partners, a traditionally under-studied area of family violence.

Hines is also the director of Clark University’s Family Impact Seminars, a series of seminars and briefing reports that aim to connect state legislators with university research. It is being funded by and conducted through Clark’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise.