Rhonelle Bruder, PhD(c), is an Assistant Professor in the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services at Salem State University and a Ph.D. Candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Previously, she served as a Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. She is also the founder of Project iRISE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of sex trafficking through leadership development, advocacy, and community engagement.

Bringing together lived experience, scholarship, and more than a decade of advocacy, Rhonelle offers a distinctive perspective on sex trafficking and gender-based violence. She is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and lecturer who has shared her expertise with academic, professional, community, and policy audiences. She has also provided expert testimony on sex trafficking in state and federal courts and published in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the growing evidence base for survivor-centered research, policy, and practice.

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