Fawn Cothran*

Assistant Professor

College/School/Department: Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Family Caregiving Institute

Additional Appointments: CAMPOS Scholar

* Denotes first-generation faculty member 

https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/nursing/ourteam/faculty/Cothran_bio.html

What made you choose Davis?

I chose Davis because of the Family Caregiving Institute and a unique opportunity to transform healthcare with amazing colleagues. The vision of the Family Caregiving Institute combined with the innovative focus on inter-professional collaboration in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing are synergistic with my passion for family caregiver health and health disparities using a community-based lens to translate research.

What research are you currently working on? What makes it unique?

My program of research focuses on African American caregivers and the intersection of race, gender and environment on health outcomes. For African American caregivers, environmental stress, caregiving stress, plus the burden of health disparities in African American communities create a critical, yet understudied area. We need a new narrative that considers social, cultural and environmental factors that may influence caregiver health and intervention design.

If you could impart one piece of advice to our undergraduates seeking a course of study/career path, what would it be?

What are you passionate about? What are you naturally good at? If you can find the “sweet spot” combination, pursue it wholeheartedly. No journey is a straight line, but remain on the journey laid out before you; the pieces will fit together. It might sound cliché, but life truly is a journey…remain present and enjoy.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

Time travel. To meet/spend time with relatives who are no longer living, hearing their stories and learning from their wisdom. I would also pop into the future to see some answers to current prayers/questions.