Joan Hodges-Wu

A social worker by profession and a torture treatment specialist by trade, Joan Hodges-Wu, MA, LGSW has worked with asylum seeking survivors of torture for nearly 20 years. Joan founded AsylumWorks in 2016 with $4,000 from a GoFundMe campaign. Her goal was to disrupt the cycle between health inequity, poverty, and immigration legal outcomes. In just over seven years, AsylumWorks has provided nearly 3,000 newcomers with culturally and linguistically appropriate services proven to increase their access to justice. In doing so, AsylumWorks has become a nationally recognized nonprofit, highly respected service provider, and sought-after thought leader. Joan holds a Masters in Refugee Care from the University of Essex (U.K.) and a Masters in Social Work from The Catholic University of America. She is proud to be a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia.