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.


2024-2025 Fellow

The Violence Prevention Center at UNC Charlotte is hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow, to begin August 2024. The position will primarily report to Dr. Annelise Mennicke (Social Work), with co-mentorship provided from other VPC affiliated faculty. Contact Dr. Annelise Mennicke (amennick@charlotte.edu) with any questions. Submit application materials here.


Current post-doctoral Fellow

Picture of Dr. Shannon Cain
Shannon Cain, Ph.D., MSW

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.