Faculty Directory
Margaret Lombe
Associate Professor
Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program
Margaret Lombe
Ph.D.
Contact
McGuinn Hall 118
Telephone: 617-552-1295
Email: margaret.lombe@bc.edu
Education
- B.A., DayStar University
- M.S.W., Washington University in St. Louis
- Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis
Research Interests
Understanding social effects of foreclosure, food security, and livelihood mechanism in vulnerable households; exploration of the intersectionality between poverty and disability; empowerment of orphaned and vulnerable children, as well as capacity building strategies; measures of social inclusion/exclusion; and causal analyses of food security
Expertise
- Disparities
- Evaluation
- Global Practice
- Innovations in Research Methods
- Maternal and Child Health
- Poverty
- Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness
- Social and Economic Inclusion
Profile
Margaret Lombe, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Boston College School of Social Work and Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program. She is also a faculty associate at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Lombe's area of expertise is international social development with an emphasis on social inclusion/exclusion and capacity building. She also specializes in methods for food security and nutrition assessment and evaluation of programs both locally and internationally. She uses an interdisciplinary research approach to examine poverty, food security, and livelihoods.
Dr. Lombe has conducted evaluations for Non-Governmental Organizations including Catholic Relief Services, Entreculturas, OXFAM America & OXFAM Great Britain, Global Ignatian Advocacy Networks (GIAN), and the Association of Member Episcopal Conference of Eastern Africa (AMECEA). She has also served as an ongoing consultant to the United Nations and has participated in a number of Experts Group Meetings (EGM) on inclusion/exclusion. Recently, Lombe was a member of Policy Unit I, and provided guidance to UN-HABITAT, leading to implementation of HABITAT III, the New Urban Agenda for inclusive cities.
Dr. Lombe has developed and taught a number of courses including global practice and program monitoring and evaluation. Currently, she serves as founding editor of Beyond Borders: Advances in Global Welfare. Dr. Lombe also serves on various journal editorial boards and is the author of more than 30 book chapters, reports, and peer reviewed publications. She is co-editor of a book on Children and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Her recent work has appeared in refereed journals such as: Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment; Social Work Research; Journal of Poverty; Children and Youth Services Review; and the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare.
Selected Publications
Lombe, M., Chu, Y., Kaipeng, Wang, Saltzman, L. & Nebbitt, V. (in-press). Examining effects of the great recession on the food security of children in poor households. Journal of Poverty.
Lombe, M., Chu, Y. Enelamah, N., & Mabikke, H. (in-press). Examining the effect of the concept of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) on the welfare of children in sub-Saharan Africa. International Social Work.
Lombe, M., Saltzman, L., Chu, Y., Sinha, A., & Nebbit, V. (2018). Cumulative risk and resilience: Examining the role of comorbid maternal mental health conditions and community factors in influencing food households in poverty. Social Work in Mental Health, 16(1), 74-92.
Lombe, M., Nebbitt, V. E., Chu, Y., Saltzman, L., & Tirmazi, T. (2017). Household adversity and food security: The case of youth in public housing neighborhoods. Journal of Children and Poverty, 23(2), 125-140.
Lombe, M., Nebbitt, V.E., Sinha, A., Reynolds, A. (2016). Examining effects of food insecurity and food choices on health outcomes in households in poverty. Social Work in Health Care, 55(6), 440-60.
Huang, J., Lombe, M., Putnam, M., Grinstein-Weiss, M., & Sherraden, M. (2016). Individual development accounts and homeownership among low-income adults with disabilities: Evidence from a randomized experiment. Journal of Applied Social Science, 10(1), 55-66.
Lombe, M., Inoue, M., Mahoney, K., Choi, Y. & Putnam, M. (2016). Understanding effects of flexible spending accounts on people with disabilities: The case of a consumer directed care program. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation, 15(1), 62-75.
Lombe, M., Safadi, N., Mabikke, H., Carrington, S. & Lombe, Y. (2014). Much ado about nothing?: Exploring effects of the millennium development goals on the welfare of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Policy Practice, 13(3), 200-217.
Inoue, M., Lombe, M., Putnam, M. & Mahoney, K. (2014). Understanding saving and purchase patterns of consumers in a self-directed care program: The West Virginia experience. Journal of Policy Practice, 13(2), 101-117.
Lombe, M. & Ochumbo, A. (Eds.) (2016). Global Health Series – Children and AIDS: sub-Saharan Africa. Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Selected Grants
2018
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College
Research Incentive Grant, to assess The Acceptability & Usability of ‘KWACHA’ a Mobile Intervention to Reduce HIV/AIDS Among Pre-Adolescent Gilrs in Rural Zambia (PI: Lombe, M.; $25,000).
2017
The Kolvenbach Grant Program (Intersections). Getting to Zero: Unleashing the power of Community. Conducted study to investigate community aspiration to get to zero. (PI: Lombe, M.; $1000).
2016-2017
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College Boston College School of Social Work and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Boston (CCAB)
Community Partnership Longitudinal Evaluation of a Community Based Teen Center Principal (Co-PIs: Lombe, M., Teixeira, S. & McRoy, R., $62,500).
2011
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College School of Social Work; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Cash and Counseling TAD: Study assessing participants’ intent to save in a self-directed service program within the West Virginia Medicaid Aged and Disabled Waver (ADW) Program (WV Bureau of Senior Services) (Co-PIs: Lombe, M., Mahoney, K. & Putnam, M., $18,000).
2010
Boston College Boston College/CRS Collaboration: Evaluation project assessing the effects of a microcredit program – Saving and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) in Yendi district, Ghana (Lombe, M. PI; $12,000).
2007
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College
Boston College School of Social Work; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Cash and Counseling TAD: Pilot study assessing viability of credit union as avenue for asset building among vulnerable individuals and households (Co-PIs: Lombe, M. & Mahoney, K., $25,000).
2006
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College
Research Expense Grant, to assess Impacts of Micro-credit Programs on the Lives of Rural Indian
Widows following the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 (Co-PIs: Lombe, M. & Kayser, K.; $2,000).
2005
Faculty Resources Grant, Boston College Research Incentive Grant: Study conducted to assess effects of assent ownership on social participation among low-income individuals and households (PI: Lombe, M.; $11,172).
Selected Appointments & Awards
2015
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Boston College
2013
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Boston College
2009
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Boston College
2008
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Boston College
professional activities
Social Development Issues: Editor Special Issue (2013-14)
Led the peer-review process for manuscript # SO-14-0519 entitled "The new Constitution of Zimbabwe and its implications for social workers." for SAGE Open.
Serve on Editorial Boards of Peer Reviewed Social Science Periodicals:
- Research on Social Work Practice
- Children and Youth Services Review
- Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services
- Journal of Poverty
- International Social Work
- Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal
World Development (Invited to review manuscript)