Dr. Erica Payton Foh in Public Health Education is the Center for Housing and Community Studies’ inaugural Faculty Research Fellow.

The yearlong fellowship supports one faculty member per year who is pursuing community-engaged, impactful, and innovative public scholarship related to the Center’s mission.

Dr. Payton Foh’s research focuses on violence prevention. Her work seeks to understand the current perceptions of the causes, consequences, and prevention of violence at the individual, community, and societal level.

“What stood out to me most about the opportunity to be a CHCS Research Fellow was the intentional design of the fellowship to support community-engaged scholars in building and sustaining mutually beneficial community partnerships,” says Dr. Payton Foh.

Throughout this year, Dr. Payton Foh will be working with the center on applied community-engaged projects focused on the assessment and development of community-based solutions. One major project will explore the impact of COVID-19 on neighborhood violence in the Dan River region. The goal of the project is to examine which neighborhood and community characteristics increase the risk for violence, including domestic violence, gun violence, and suicide.

“Now, as society continues to wrestle with a pandemic, continued racial injustices, and increased concern over safety and wellbeing, addressing violence as a public health issue is all the more paramount,” she adds. “I strongly believe that together we are better. I look forward to collaborating on meaningful and timely research with community partners and the CHCS team.”