Dr. St.Vil’s research focuses broadly on healthy relationships. Her specific interests include intimate partner violence, monogamous and nonmonogamous relationships, and Black male-female relationships. Through her research, she hopes to help people build healthy relationships that will benefit the health of men, women, children, extended families, and communities.

As a policy fellow, Dr. St.Vil, will explore the reasons why victims of domestic violence who have filed for temporary orders of protection rarely file for permanent orders of protections. Her study will incorporate mixed methods and has implications for domestic violence policy.  As I am new to the Buffalo area, my research in Buffalo is just getting started. I am currently working on a manuscript that I will submit once it’s been accepted for publication.

Selected Publications:

·         A Qualitative Study of Survival Strategies Used by Low-Income Black Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence

·         A Spirit Unbroken: The Black Church’s Evolving Response to Domestic Violence

·         Multiple Intimate Partner Violence Experiences: Knowledge, Access, Utilization and Barriers to Utilization of Resources by Women of the African Diaspora

·         By Grace: The Challenges, Strengths, and Promise of African American Marriages