Areas of Interest and Expertise
- Child Welfare
- Disability Issues
- Foster Care
- Justice Involvement
- Transitions to Adulthood
- Health Access and Promotion
Education
- PhD, Florida State University
- JD, Yeshiva University
- MSW, Florida State University
- BS, Florida State University
Bio
Leah P. Cheatham is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. Her research focuses on the convergence of disability issues and system-involved populations, particularly children and young adults. Informed by legal and social work training, she aims to identify practices and policies that promote social justice.
Selected Publications
Cheatham, L. P., Smith, N. L., & Gannon, B. S. (2026). Healthcare access among youth with disabilities leaving foster care: Exploring barriers in the Deep South. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108791
Kelly, B., Oterholm, I., Gimm, G., Venables, J., Baker, C., Bennwik, I. H. B., Ellem, K., Lee, J. L., & Cheatham, L. P. (2025). Disabled Youth Transitioning from Care: An International Policy Analysis. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.
Gimm, G., Cheatham, L. P., Lee, J. L., Villodas, M. (2025). All transition-age foster youth, especially those with disabilities, need continuous Medicaid coverage, Health Affairs Forefront, DOI: 10.1377/forefront.20250122.417423
Dewey, S., Kenney, J., Cheatham, L. P., Barti, E.* (2025). Culpability and fairness: Perspectives from a deep south women’s prison. Women & Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2025.2520763
Smith, N. L.*, Adams, A.*, Abshire, A.*, & Cheatham, L. P. (2025). Barriers and facilitators to healthcare access among youth transitioning out of foster care: A scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108317
Katz, C.C., Jackson, S., Dworsky, A., Okpych, N., Cheatham, L. P., Geiger, J., Harty, J., Johnson, R., Munson, M., Powers, J., Salazar, A., Shpiegel, S., Taussig, H. & Courtney, M. (2025). The Transition-Age Youth Special Interest Group (TAY-SIG): The establishment and activities of a US-based network of child welfare researchers. Families in Society.
Cheatham, L. P., Luo, Y.*, Hubbard, S., Jackson, M. S., Hasenbein, W.*, & Bertram, J.* (2021). Cultivating safe and stable spaces: Reflections on a campus-based support program for foster care alumni and youth experiencing homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106247
Cheatham, L. P., Smith, S., Siler, M., Johnson, K., Turner, C., Wilkes, S., Shah, A., Johnson, L., Swails, P., Lopaczynski, L.* (2020). “Own Your Vote”: A novel approach to teach social workers about voting rights. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 23(2), 55–60.
Cheatham, L. P., Randolph, K., Boltz, L.* (2020). Youth with disabilities transitioning from foster care: Examining prevalence and predicting positive outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104777
Cheatham, L. P., & Randolph, K. (2020). Education and employment transitions among young adults with disabilities: Comparisons by disability status, type and severity. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1722073
Milić-Babić, M., Tkalec, S., & Cheatham, L. P. (2018). Right to education for children with disabilities from the earliest age. Croatian Journal of Education, 20, 233–263.
Cheatham, L. P., Abell, N., & Kim, H. (2015). Development and validation of the social worker’s attitudes toward disabilities scale. Journal of Social Work Education, 51, 379–397.
Cheatham, L. P. (2012). Effects of Internet use on well-being among adults with physical disabilities: A review. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 7, 181–188.