Meet the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center Team

Learn more about the background and expertise of the UNC team behind the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center.

Associate Director, Cynthia Feltner, MD, MPH

Dr. Feltner is board certified in internal medicine, has completed a preventive medicine fellowship, and has practiced for over 19 years. She has additional clinical training and experience in psychiatry, women’s health, and occupational medicine. Dr. Feltner is also an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology and leads the Population Health for Clinicians MPH concentration at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. She has served as Lead or Co-Investigator for numerous systematic reviews for the USPSTF and AHRQ. Most recently, Dr. Feltner has served as the Lead Investigator on Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults (2022), Screening for Eating Disorders in Adolescents and Adults (2022), and Screening for Hearing Loss in Older Adults (2021).

Program Manager, Jennifer Cook Middleton, PhD

Dr. Middleton joined the EPC in 2011 and has served as the EPC’s UNC Program Manager since December 2019. She has many years of experience as a behavioral and social science researcher and has worked extensively in the areas of health services and public health research. She has served as a project manager, project coordinator, and research associate on numerous systematic reviews and topic developments for AHRQ and the USPSTF. Some of her recent projects include Folic Acid Supplementation to Prevent Neural Tube Defects (2023); Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults (2022); Screening for Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents (2022); and Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents (2022).

Research Specialist, Jessica Vaughan, MPH

Ms. Vaughan has been a Research Specialist with the RTI-UNC EPC since 2022. She previously worked at Emory University in psychiatric clinical research, assisting in coordinating NIH-funded research studies.

Research Assistant, Claire Baker

Ms. Baker has worked with the RTI-UNC EPC since 2009 and has assisted with many USPSTF and AHRQ-funded projects over the years. Most recently, she has supported reviews on Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults (2022) and Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents (2022).