Meet Our Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral fellowships provide career development opportunities for talented early career scholars to spend dedicated time pursuing their research on health disparities and violence prevention with access to the UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center resources. The Center aims to give fellows a hub where they have the time, space, and resources to pursue research related to violence prevention; opportunities to engage with scholars at UNC Charlotte and community partners, a community where they can learn from one another; and opportunities to contribute to the mission and vision of the UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center.
Current post-doctoral Fellows
Dr. Cain earned her PhD in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She earned her MSW from Indiana University with a concentration in healthcare. Her dissertation focused on Trauma-informed Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with mother-infant dyads impacted by in-utero opioid exposure. She worked in the field for 7 years as a psychiatric social worker and assessment/emergency services therapist before pursuing her PhD. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (TN/VA) and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (VA). Her research interests focus on preventing and mitigating the effects of trauma and improving trauma treatment. She supports Dr. Cramer and his team’s work on a Department of Defense-supported grant project seeking to prevent suicide in service members. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and supporting local coffee shops.
Dr. Fortson earned her PhD in Public Health from Georgia State University, along with both a Master of Public Health and a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a medical social worker. Her dissertation focused on multilevel factors influencing alcohol use and mental health outcomes among Black college students, as well as within-group differences in stressors, alcohol use, and posttraumatic stress symptoms by institution type. Dr. Fortson’s research centers on the etiology and prevention of health inequities in racially and ethnically minoritized populations, with a particular focus on substance misuse, mental health, and traumatic life experiences. She supports Dr. Mennicke’s work on various VPC projects aimed at preventing violence and associated behavioral risk factors. In her free time, Dr. Fortson enjoys spending time with loved ones, winning at game nights, trying new restaurants, and attending concerts.