Dr. Jennifer First is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee and a Faculty Fellow at the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri. She studies the human impacts of disaster events and social inequalities that place vulnerable populations at increased risk for adverse outcomes. In particular, her research has focused on the mental health impacts of exposure to collective traumatic events (e.g., tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, civil unrest, COVID-19). Her recent work has focused on measuring material, social, and psychological resources found to support disaster adaptation and resilience across various natural hazards in the U.S.