Maura Nsonwu, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Affiliation: North Carolina State Univeristy

Dr. Maura Nsonwu is a professor in the School of Social Work at North Carolina State University. She has taught at the undergraduate, master, and doctoral levels and has been a practitioner, clinician, educator, and researcher for over 30 years. Maura has co-authored (with Noel Busch-Armendariz and Laurie Cook Heffron) three textbooks on human trafficking: “Human trafficking: Applying research, theory and case studies” (2017). Sage; Human trafficking: Applying research, theory and case studies for social workers and the helping professions” (2025). Cognellaand “Human trafficking: Applying research, theory, and case studies for criminal justice, law, and policymakers” (2025). Cognella. She is a research fellow with the Center for New North Carolinians (CNNC) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro serving refugee/immigrant communities as an advocate/scholar and has partnered closely with resettlement agencies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Maura serves as the president of the Association for Immigration and Refugee Service Professionals (ARSP), a national organization that supports professionals in immigration and refugee-related fields. Her current research is focused on human trafficking of athletes.

Research Interests:

  • Social work education and anti-trafficking practice

  • Human trafficking of athletes

  • Qualitative research methods

  • Violence against women and children

  • Social work with refugee/immigrant communities

  • Secondary traumatic stress and burnout among mental health professionals