Profile: Robin Mathy

Candidates for our Doctor of Social Work (DSW) come from all walks of life with aspirations for academia, C-suites, and beyond. We’re proud to foster extraordinary cohorts of scholars and leaders, which is why we’d like to introduce the exceptional Robin Mathy, MSW, MSc, MSt, MA, ACSW, LMSW, LGSW. 

Before enrolling in Tulane’s DSW program, Mathy had published four books and dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She also earned an impressive four master’s degrees, including her MSW, a Master of Arts in Sociology, a Master of Studies in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Science in Evidence-Based Healthcare from the University of Oxford.

Mathy chose Tulane’s DSW program for its emphasis on helping students forge life-long collegial relationships. “It has already fulfilled that promise!” Mathy says. “My peers are extremely accomplished professional social workers, and I learn as much from them as I do from formal coursework. We have several WhatsApp groups through which we provide continuous support and feedback to each other.”

I needed to be somewhere that would support me as an activist, advocate, and researcher. I am thrilled about my experiences here. I could not be so productive otherwise.

Robin Mathy, DSW Candidate

Tulane’s DSW program benefits from being highly diverse – allowing our students to learn from peers of all backgrounds. Mathy came out as a transgender woman in 2023 and was looking for an academic environment where she could be herself “without having to be afraid of discrimination and prejudice from faculty or peers.”

“Everyone here has been amazingly supportive of me as a woman assigned male at birth, showing respect for me as a person, my lived experience as a gender minority, and my passion for research on transgender and nonbinary issues,” Mathy says. “This is especially important to me because I came out to fight the attack on transgender rights… I needed to be somewhere that would support me as an activist, advocate, and researcher. I am thrilled about my experiences here. I could not be so productive otherwise.” 

And productive, she has been. While in Tulane’s DSW program, Mathy has focused on advocacy and social justice for transgender people. She has authored several articles and book chapters, including "Social Justice and Advocacy for Transgender and Nonbinary Clients" with Tulane alum Dr. Heidi Breaux (DSW '21). She has also co-authored research on transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and mental health outcomes in transgender adolescents, transgender people in the military, and evidence-based treatments for transgender minors.

What is the Advanced Practice Project (APP)?

The Advanced Practice Project is a flexible assignment designed to allow students to display their research and practice experience. It is most commonly an article related to the student's practice area, which the student is encouraged to publish.

The APP is designed to be accessible, eliminating many of the barriers presented by a standard PhD dissertation. Each DSW student develops their APP in collaboration with a faculty advisor. Early in the program, a committee reviews a proposal and provides feedback to begin the process. 

Mathy's APP "argues that transgender people experience more minority stress than lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, and a higher proportion of the former have adverse mental health indices than the latter." Her manuscript's abstract has already been approved by the American Psychological Association's esteemed journal, Traumatology.