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The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Team

James R. Cook, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology

Jim Cook has been a faculty member in the Psychology department at UNC Charlotte since 1980, after receiving his Ph.D. from Indiana University. Consistent with his training and identity as a community psychologist, he conducts research and works with community partners to foster change to improve the lives of people who are economically and socially disadvantaged and/or who have disabilities. Dr. Cook has integrated his service to the community into the primary faculty roles of teaching and research, and has helped develop university-community partnerships that enable university students, faculty and staff to work together with community members to address important community needs.

Eylin Palamaro Munsell, M.A.

Doctoral Candidate, Community Health Psychology Program

Eylin Palamaro Munsell received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont and her M.A. in Clinical/Community Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Community Health Psychology at UNCC where she has worked as a coordinator on community research projects involving at risk youth and their families for the past 5 years. Her other research interests include explorations of the power of social support, resilience and how sense of community can serve as a proxy for family for disenfranchised youth. After graduating, Eylin plans to continue to investigate her research interests while pursuing a career as a university professor.

Virginia Johnson, B.S. in Psychology and Sociology

Graduate Student, Clinical/Community Psychology Masters Program

Virginia is currently completing her masters in Clinical/Community psychology at UNC Charlotte. As a graduate student she works part-time in the System of Care laboratory with research interests in the identification of ongoing environmental, community conditions and structures that serve as protective and risk factors for individuals. After completing her masters, she plans to continue her education in the Community Health Psychology Ph.D. program at UNC Charlotte.

Taylor Bishop, B.S. in Psychology

Graduate Student, Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program

Taylor Bishop is a first year graduate student in the Health Psychology Ph.D. program at UNC Charlotte, focusing on both clinical and community interests. She received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia in 2009. Her current research interests involve interventions with at-risk youth and broader system change. She is currently involved with research evaluating the local System of Care and several of the related supporting agencies involved in connecting families with services.

Jennifer Dashiell, M.S., CRC

Graduate Student, Community Health Psychology Doctoral Program

Jennifer Dashiell received her B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina A&T State University in 2001 and her M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Radford University in 2003. She received a second M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from North Carolina A&T State University in 2007. Jennifer is in her third year in the Health Psychology program, currently working on research projects that focus on the impact of Family Partners for youth and families, training to improve service delivery quality, and the influence of residential mobility on behavioral outcomes. She is also pursuing a graduate certificate in Community Health. Upon the completion of her doctoral degree, Jennifer plans to seek a tenure-track position as a university professor and conduct community research in planning and evaluation.

Melissa Strompolis, M.A.

Graduate Student, Community Health Psychology Doctoral Program

Melissa Strompolis received her B.S. in Psychology from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL and her M.A. in General Psychology from The University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. After completing classes at UWF, Melissa worked for the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Naval Air Station Pensacola. There Melissa worked on projects related to cognitive research and aviation selection and vestibular systems research. In 2008 Melissa was accepted to the Community Health Psychology doctoral program at UNC Charlotte. Melissa is currently involved in projects related to integrated health care, school readiness, residential mobility, longitudinal outcomes for children with severe emotional disturbances, and the evaluation of systems of care. Melissa is also pursuing a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.

Ryan P. Kilmer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology

Dr. Kilmer has been at UNC Charlotte since earning his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1999. His interests include: (a) the development of children at-risk for emotional, behavioral, and/or academic difficulties, particularly risk and resilience and youngsters’ adjustment to trauma; and (b) the use of research to guide service delivery, evaluate service and program effectiveness, and inform system change, program refinement, and policy. Dr. Kilmer has worked with community partners reflecting different disciplines (e.g., mental health, education, health, child welfare), and he has been active in efforts to improve local mental health and child welfare systems.