Shakila Flentroy

Dr. Shakila L. Flentroy, Ph.D., MSSW, has more than ten years of research, teaching, and academic leadership experience. Her scholarly work examines the impact of race, class, and violence on the well-being of urban, rural, and international communities of color, with an emphasis on health and mental health promotion. Grounded in Critical Race Theory and Afrocentric Theory, Dr. Flentroy’s research advances equity-centered approaches in social work education and practice. She is the first author of the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health article, “Assessment of childhood trauma and links to HIV and substance abuse in post-incarcerated women,” and she presents her work at national and international conferences.

Dr. Flentroy is currently leading a qualitative research study titled “Black Doulas: A Protective Factor for Black Women’s Maternal Health.” The first phase explores the lived experiences of Black doulas to inform strategies that address the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates faced by Black women.

In her current role as the BSW Academic Program Coordinator at Walden University, Dr. Flentroy provides academic leadership that strengthens program quality and enhances student and faculty success. She mentors contributing faculty, facilitates the ENGAGE Meeting Series—a platform that brings community social workers into the classroom to share their expertise—and delivers training for field faculty on the new field curriculum and best practices in supervising field students. Dr. Flentroy has also presented her work at Walden’s National Faculty and Staff Meeting and at the Faculty Leading Change Conference, where she contributes thought leadership on innovative, equity-centered field education and pedagogy.

At Walden University, Dr. Flentroy teaches and advises BSW students, empowering them to excel academically and embody their role as future social work change agents. Her primary teaching areas include Research Methods II, Field Seminar I and II, and the BSW Skills Lab.

Courses Taught

SOCW 2001 - Introduction to Social Work

SOCW 3002 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment

SWLB 0652 - MSW Social Work Skills Lab 2

BWLB 4110 - BSW Skills Lab 1

SOCW 4002 - Social Work Research II

SOCW 4100 - Field Seminar I

SOCW 4110 - Field Seminar II

Education

PhD, The Catholic University of America

MSW, Columbia University

BA, University of California Santa Cruz

Publications

Flentroy, S. L., Young, M., Blue, N., Gilbert, D. J. (2015). Innovative assessment of childhood trauma and its link to HIV and substance abuse in post-incarcerated women. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health

Presentations

Flentroy, S. L. (2016). African Healing Stones and Women’s Collective Mental Health Transformation. Association for Black Psychologists

Flentroy, S. L. (2017). African Healing Stones: African American Women’s Motivation for Self-Directed Health Promotion. The Catholic University of America

Flentroy, S. L. (2017). African Sacred Stones: Creating Meaning and Transformational Health-Promoting Behaviors with African-Descent Persons. The Association for Black Sexologist and Clinicians

Flentroy , S. L. (2018). Preventing HIV/AIDS among African American women: Using culturally appropriate strategies. Society for Social Work and Research

Flentroy, S. L. (2015). Reducing HIV Stigma with African-Descent Women: Programs for US and Africa. Association for Black Psychologist

Flentroy, S. L. (2015). Sacred Stones: Incorporating Spirituality and Healing for Health Promotion Interventions with Black Women. AIDS Foundation Houston