Research Interests
mental healthcriminal justice system
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Available: No
Grant Funded Positions Available: No
Course-Credit Research Opportunities Available: No
Volunteer Research Positions Available: No
Biography
Dr. Bratina has been teaching in the Department of Criminal Justice since 2016. She has served as President of the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences (NEACJS) (2017-2018) and has held positions of Executive Counselor for the International and Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Sections of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). Currently, she is serving as the Region 1 Trustee (Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canadian Provinces) for ACJS and also serves as Board Liaison to the Representative to the United Nations and Membership Committees for that organization. At WCU, Dr. Bratina has served as Adviser for Nu Beta, the WCU Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, a nationally recognized criminal justice honor society, and continues in her role as Adviser for the campus chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI on Campus), an organization she co-founded with two former students in 2020. Additionally, she is currently serving as the Practicum Coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice.
Before entering academia, Dr. Bratina held several positions in the State of Florida, including Forensic and Children's Mental Health Coordinator for the Florida Department of Children and Families (FL-DCF) in the 19th Judicial Circuit, Systems Integrator for the Southeastern Florida Behavioral Health Network (SEBHN), and Criminal Justice Program Director for a small university in West Palm Beach. Dr. Bratina endeavors to advance mental health awareness and advocacy in the criminal justice system and in the community.
In her spare time, Dr. Bratina enjoys playing acoustic guitar and traveling.
