Sarah Maxwell

Biography

Sarah Maxwell earned her Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University. She is currently Assistant Provost, Office of Community College Relations and Associate Professor, jointly appointed in Public Health, Public Policy, and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Dallas. She previously served as Associate Dean, Office of the Executive Vice President; Associate Dean, Office of Undergraduate Education; and Assistant Dean, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. Dr. Maxwell is an award-winning faculty member, earning over eight school-level teaching awards, one university award in multicultural education, and was nominated as a UTD-candidate to UT System for the Regents award. Her service to the university is extensive and includes positions such as President, Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society, UT Dallas Chapter.

Her numerous refereed articles focus on human tick-borne disease risk using multi-modal databases under a One Health model framework. She is also engaged in health initiatives for vulnerable populations, receiving a grant from the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation to assess tick-borne disease among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Texas. Dr. Maxwell also completed a grant to develop research-based vector-borne disease educational materials. Her latest funding, through a competitive research grant, includes the development of a county-level tick-borne disease data guidebook.

Her disease surveillance research has led to numerous invitations and appointments, including: Faculty Affiliate (current) and Fellowship (2022-2023), Boston University School of Medicine, Laboratory for Human Neurobiology; Research Affiliate, Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy, George Mason University; Research Member, Integrate, Communicate, Inform (ICI)-Vector-borne Disease Working Group; and Member, Scientific Board, Texas Lyme Alliance. Her research is included in official state health reports and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for medical professionals.

In addition to her academic career, Dr. Maxwell managed $10 million in federal, state, and private grants while working for a national nonprofit organization. During this time, she organized a joint task force between the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Justice to study promising employment practices for court-involved youth. She also worked as a consultant to nonprofits and federal contractors, developing best practices and management guidelines for youth development practitioners. Dr. Maxwell has secured approximately 10.7 million dollars in total funding during her 30-year career. When she is not writing or teaching, Dr. Maxwell can be found fostering service dogs for wounded veterans and individuals with disabilities and serving as an ambassador for the Global Lyme Alliance.