Alumni research informs violence prevention on campus

Research produced by two Carolina graduates has already affected the future of violence prevention at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Holly Lovern, the director of Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services at Carolina, refers frequently to emerging, evidence-based research to inform prevention work and confidential support services offered to students, faculty and staff.

When Lovern initially reviewed a newly released report on a five-year trend analysis of domestic violence in North Carolina, she didn’t realize the research was spearheaded by recent Master of Professional Science alumna Rylee Li ’23 (MS ’24) during an internship under the direction of Elizabeth Sager (MPH ’16).

“Our campus is a microcosm of the larger community around us, and it’s helpful to see the ways in which impact looks similar and different across environments and settings,” Lovern said. “It’s important to strengthen awareness and visibility of resources available on campus and in the community. Rylee’s role in the report is a great example of the importance of partnership between the University and North Carolina.”

Li was an international student who transferred to Carolina to complete her degrees at the UNC School of Information and Library Science. Her master’s degree program required an internship, which landed her a role as a data evaluation intern with the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where Sager is the director of evaluation.

The report produced generated media coverage from across the state, in part because it noted an increase in domestic violence cases during the last five years. The report also included research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on services, funding and capacity for care.

Connecting this research to the Carolina community of compassion and care by way of violence prevention proved to be a fulfilling opportunity.

“During my internship, I didn’t expect the report to be such an impactful thing,” Li said. “We all have this tendency to underestimate the work we create. It felt so good to know that it made such a contribution to the Carolina community. It’s work that I’m very interested in doing and in a way in which I want to apply my skills.”

As a student, Li volunteered her time with a campus health informatics student association and began to connect with the incoming coalition intern for this fall.

“Students contribute in so many different and impactful ways,” Li said. “It makes me feel more confident and connects all the dots that I’ve learned from my courses. Internships are a great way to watch myself and my peers evolve.”

VPAS and its gender violence services coordinators offer confidential support and services for people who are directly or indirectly affected by gender-based violence or harassment. Their support is open to the entire Carolina community, including undergraduate, graduate and professional students.