Catherine Cerulli, J.D.

Professor of Psychiatry
University of Rochester

Fellowship Profile

Fellowship Year: 2020-2021
Fellowship Placement: Sen Murphy (D-CT)
Sponsoring Institution: University of Rochester Department of Psychiatry
Discipline / Profession: Administration , Law , Medicine - Psychiatry , Public Health , Other (Please specify below): Criminal Justice

Biography

Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD, has established a unique, scientifically based career path that seeks to combine legal, public health,
and mental health perspectives to help enhance the human rights and well-being of people marginalized due to economic,
safety, health, and legal concerns. As a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the
Director of the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization, she has promoted research in diverse criminal justice,
community, and health settings, and in 2016 cofound an innovative medical-law program that integrates health, legal, and
advocacy services for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Dr. Cerulli also directs the UR Susan B. Anthony Center, which
focuses on translating science regarding social determinants of health into practices to help change lives. Dr. Cerulli, a licensed
attorney, has worked directly with IPV victims since 1983 - as a counselor, advocate, attorney, and researcher. Currently, she is
working on mitigation efforts for people filing under the New York State Domestic Violence Survivor Justice Act, the only state
with such a statute in the country. She forges collaborative mixed-methods community studies in partnership with survivors as
investigators and advisors, guided by principles of community-based participatory research. Dr. Cerulli has worked in Russia,
China, Mongolia, the Greater Mekong region, and most recently, in India. NIH Fogarty International Center, the World Health
Organization, and the Fulbright Specialist Program have funded her international portfolio. As a national and international leader
and trainer, Dr. Cerulli speaks directly to the need for agencies to ground their service programs in scientifically developed
evidence and to rigorously evaluate the real-world impacts of their initiatives.