Biography

Pamela L. Thornton, PhD, MSW, currently teaches at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and consults with the MITRE Corporation to support public health efforts with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to these roles, she worked for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute as a senior research analyst on maternal and child health initiatives as well as a national project to improve social determinants of health in communities of color. Her primary research interests concern utilizing community-based participatory strategies to promote minority women and children's health. Her research activities have focused on the role of psychosocial factors in the etiology of health and illness, particularly on maternal stress and health. Dr. Thornton received her B.S. from Howard University in Psychology and English, M.S.W. from Catholic University, and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland Baltimore in Social Work. She studied international health policy at the University of Bristol in England. Dr. Thornton was a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Scholar in Health Disparities and National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research.