Dr. Cramer’s research addresses suicide prevention, hate crimes/violence prevention, LGBTQ+ health, and the intersection of social science, law & policy. His expertise in community engagement, data analytics, program design and evaluation, health & social science theory, and interdisciplinary frameworks cut across these areas. Dr. Cramer’s research record includes mentoring and co-authoring with more than 50 student and postdoctoral fellow mentees.

To date, Dr. Cramer has 200+ peer-reviewed publications and greater than $17.5 million in external grant funding. Dr. Cramer’s work has been funded by the DoD, Department of Veterans Affairs, SAMHSA, NIMH, NSF, NC DHHS, and various philanthropic funders. He is the co-author of The Behavioral Science of Firearms: A Mental Health Perspective on Guns, Suicide, and Violence (2018; Oxford University Press).

Recognized in these areas of scholar expertise, Dr. Cramer served as the Co-Editor of the Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research and as an Associate Editor for BMC Psychiatry. He maintains editorial board memberships at Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, Aggressive Behavior, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Psychology, Public Policy and Law.

Example interdisciplinary collaborative and mentee (co)authored articles:

1. ‡Cain, S.M., ‡Rooney, E.A., Cacace, S., Post, A., Russell, K., Rasmussen, S., Baker, J.C., & Cramer. R.J. (2024). Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences among Adults in the United Kingdom: A Latent Class Analysis. BMC Public Health, 24, 2052.

2. ‡Kaniuka, A., Cramer, R.J., Wilsey, C.N., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Mennicke, A., ‡Patton A., Zarwell M., McClean, C., Harris, Y., Sullivan, S., & Gray, G. (2022). COVID-19 Exposure, Stress, and Mental Health: Results from a Needs Assessment among Low Income Adults in Central North Carolina. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 790468

3. Long, M.M., Cramer, R.J., Leiferman, J.A., Bennington, L.K., Paulson, J.F. (2022). Perinatal Depression Educational Training for Nursing Students. Community Health Equity Research and Policy, 42(4), 381-389.

Spring 2025 Team Meeting at University of Strathclyde (UK) 
Spring 2025 team collaborative meeting at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK).

Example suicide prevention articles:

1. Cramer, R.J., Bennette, M.R., Troncoso, M., Grover, S., Schnecke, K., Franks, M., Cain, S.M., Rikli, H L., Charles, C., & Baker, J.C. (2025). The Core Competency Model for Military (CCM-M): A suicide prevention training approach for working with military populations. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. Advance online publication.

2. Cramer, R.J., Nobles, M.N., ‡Rooney, E., & Rasmussen, S. (2024). A Psychometric Evaluation of The Life Attitudes Schedule-Short Form. Death Studies, 48(10), 1097-1106.

3. Cramer, R.J., Judah, M.R., Badger, N.L., Holley, A.M., ‡Judd, S., Peterson, M., ‡Hager, N., Vandecar-Burdin, T., & Foss, J.J. (2022). Suicide on College Campuses: A Public Health Framework and Case Illustration. Journal of American College Health, 70(1), 1-8.

Example hate crimes & violence prevention articles:

1. Cramer, R.J., Fording, R.C., Kaniuka, A.R., Tucker, R.P., Diaz-Garelli, F. Hill, R.M., Brooks, B. & ‡Hanson, B. (2025). Hate Crime Law Associations with Mental Health and Discrimination Experiences among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults in the United States. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 25(1), e12447.

2. Cramer, R.J., Cacace, S.C., ‡Sorby, M., ‡Adrian, M.E., Kehn, A., & Wilsey, C.N. (2023). A Psychometric Investigation of the Hate-Motivated Behavior Checklist. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(7-8), 5638-5660.

3. Cramer, R.J., Fording, R.C., Gerstenfeld, P.B., Kehn, A., Marsden, J., Deitle, C., King, A., Smart, S., & Nobles, M.R. (2020). Hate-Motivated Behavior: Impacts, Risk Factors, and Interventions. Health Affairs. DOI: 10.1377/hpb20200929.601434

Example LGBTQ+ health articles:

1. Cramer, R.J., ‡Robertson, R.A., Nobles, M.R., Bowling, J., Cacace, C., Feinstein, B.A., & Rasmussen, S.A.(2024). Entrapment and Defeat Scales: Factor Structure Assessment and Variation by Gender and Sexual Identity among Adults in the United Kingdom. Journal of Personality Assessment, 106(2), 254-266.

2. Hilgeman, M.H., Cramer, R.J., Kaniuka, A.R., ‡Robertson, R., Bishop, T., Wilson, S.H., Sperry, H.A., & Lange, T.M. (2024). Moderators of Treatment Outcomes for LGBTQ+ Military Veterans in the PRIDE in All Who Served Health Promotion Group. PLoS One, 19(11), e0282376.

3. Cramer, R.J., ‡Kaniuka, A., Lange, T.M., Brooks, B.D., Feinstein, B.A., & Hilgeman, M.M. (2022). A Pilot Evaluation of Sexual and Gender Minority Identity Measures in a Treatment-Seeking Military Veteran Sample. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92, 442-451.   

Example social science, law, & policy articles:

1. Cramer, R.J., Cacace, S., Coffey, A., Kaniuka, A.R., ‡Robertson, R.A., Hazlett, E., & Peiper, L.J. (2024). Latent Profiles and Psychosocial Correlates of Persistent Self-Injury among Incarcerated Adults. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 93, 101967.

2. Neal, T.M.S., & Cramer, R.J. (2017). Moral Disengagement in Legal Judgments. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 14, 745-761.

3. Cramer, R.J., ‡Laxton, K.L., Chandler, J.F., Kehn, A., ‡Bate, B.P., & Clark, J.W. (2017). Political Identity, Type of Victim, and Hate Crime-Related Beliefs as Predictors of Views Concerning Hate Crime Penalty Enhancement Laws. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 17, 262-285.