Postdoctoral research fellows
Mentoring the next generation nurse researchers
Postdoctoral fellows focus on their scholarship with the benefit of strong mentoring relationships, helping develop the next generation of exceptional nurse researchers.
Jessica Mongilio, PhD
Mentor: Rebecca Evans-Polce
Dr. Mongilio is a criminologist, with training in developmental psychology and neuroscience, whose primary interests are centered on the emergence, persistence, and desistence of substance use and delinquency in adolescence and young adulthood. Her research explores the intersection of biological, psychological, sociological, and ecological risk and protective factors for these phenomena.
Sungwon Park, PhD, RN
Mentor: Janet Larson
Dr. Park is a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan. Since the establishment of the Michigan Society of Fellows in 1970, she is the first nursing scholar to be awarded their fellowship. Dr. Park's clinical background is in occupational health nursing, and her primary research interest is to promote workers' health and enhance the working environment. Her current work at UM involves studying the physical activity and sedentary behavior of sedentary workers based on their job tasks, under the guidance of Dr. Larson.
Emily Pasman, PhD, LMSW
Mentor: Sean McCabe
Dr. Pasman, PhD, LMSW, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe at the University of Michigan School of Nursing Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health. She earned her PhD in Social Work from Wayne State University in May 2023. Her social work practice has centered around the development, implementation, and evaluation of peer-delivered services for people in or seeking recovery. Her current program of research aims to expand harm reduction interventions, improve peer-delivered services, and promote effective youth prevention and recovery support.
Jessica Dozier, PhD, MPH
Mentor: Yasamin Kusunoki and Michelle Munro-Kramer
Dr. Dozier is a U-M President's Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership. She is committed to improving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) across the life course, understanding social and structural determinants of SRH, and addressing health inequities in the U.S. and globally. Her dissertation was the first to investigate how partner-perpetrated reproductive coercion affects women’s subsequent postpartum outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. This research offers insights into determinants of postpartum contraceptive use and can inform interventions that support women in making autonomous reproductive decisions.
Florence Johnson, Ph.D., RN, MSN, MHA, CDP
Mentor: Milisa Manojlovich
Research Fellow, National Clinician Scholars Program
Dr. Johnson is a National Clinician Scholars Program research fellow in the Department of Systems, Populations, and Leadership. Her research is fueled by a passion for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among Black caregivers of individuals living with dementia in community settings. Dr. Johnson's mixed-method dissertation examined the impact of community support services on the mental health of Black caregivers of people living with dementia in the community.
Portia Zaire, PhD, MSNEd, BSN
Mentor: Milisa Manojlovich
Research Fellow, National Clinician Scholars Program
Dr. Portia J. Zaire is a National Clinician Scholar at IHPI Research Fellow, Department of Systems, Populations, & Leadership at the School of Nursing T32 Scholar at Cancer Control & Population Sciences Rogel Cancer Center. She graduated from Cleveland State University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2007 and a PhD from The Ohio State University in 2024. Her background is extensive and well accomplished including clinical practice in acute and primary care, leadership, and education. Dr. Zaire's research interests include primary healthcare delivery to historically marginalized populations, focusing on preventive cancer services. She also examines the role of team-based care in delivery of these services. Dr. Zaire's dissertation examined organizational level factors associated with colorectal cancer screening in community health centers.
D43 International Scholars
The D43 International Scholars are a part of the D43 training grant focused on addressing the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Thailand and Indonesia. See the current international scholars.
Supaporn Trongsakul, Ph.D.
Mentors: Ben Hampstead (US) and Nahathai Wongpakaran (Thailand)
Dr. Trongsakul holds a PhD in Studies Allied to Medical Research, University of East Anglia (UEA), the United Kingdom. Her post-doc study plan is to promote local people or village health volunteers to provide cognitive training programs to NCD older people with MCT state in the community. She also would like to find out whether the cognitive training program from Griffith (2020) if delivered by non-medical health professionals will give similar positive results compared with those delivered by health professionals. By integrating village health volunteers closer into the health system will not only support sustainability of the cognitive training in the community but also motivate older people themselves to constantly participate in the program. This study will be one of interventions designed to support the national policy of community-based long-term care for aging population.
International Visiting Fellows
UMSN's global collaboration through the International Visiting Scholars program and the Fogarty International Training Program for Strengthening Non-Communicable Disease Research and Training Capacity, co-funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (Grant No: 1D43TW009883-01) brings researchers from all over the world to campus.
