Vanessa Voller
Visiting Assistant Professor of International Studies
Global health justice and the theory and practice of social medicine with an area focus on Latin America
[email protected]
she/her/hers
Dr. Voller is a mixed-methods, community-engaged researcher whose work centers on post-assault medical care and legal advocacy for survivors of sexual violence. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Bolivia (2023) and a Research Scholar at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (2024–2025).
Her current international research focuses on contraception access for adolescents and emerging adult women in rural communities in eastern Bolivia. Domestically, she studies the long-term health outcomes of survivors of sex trafficking and the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Her scholarship has been published in Health and Human Rights Journal, Journal of Adolescent Health, and Child Welfare, and is currently under review with the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved and the Journal of Human Trafficking.
Since 2020, Vanessa has been teaching at Macalester College, where she is affiliated with the Community and Global Health program. She earned her PhD from the University of Minnesota and her Master of Development Practice (MDP) from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In her free time, she volunteers as an expert witness on asylum cases for survivors of gender-based violence. She also serves as the faculty lead for Macalester’s Climb Club, where she shares her passion for rock climbing and safe outdoor recreation.
BA: magna cum laude, Colorado College, 2016
MDP: magna cum laude, University of Minnesota, 2018
PhD: University of Minnesota, 2025