Fenn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history (with honors)[3] from
Duke University in 1981, then attended
Yale University, finishing her master's degree in 1985. Fenn originally planned to write her dissertation on
millenarianism in Native American culture, but left her doctoral program at Yale before it was finished, as she was "bored" with academia. Fenn entered the auto mechanic program at
Durham Technical Community College and worked as a mechanic around the
Durham, North Carolina area for eight years before returning to Yale in 1995 to complete her studies. Pox Americana, her dissertation about the
1775–82 North American smallpox epidemic, was written while working part-time, and completed in 1999.[4] Fenn was interviewed on multiple national news outlets about biological warfare after the
September 11 attacks.[5]
^Sounart, Christie (April 22, 2015).
"Fenn Wins Pulitzer". Colorandan Magazine. Archived from
the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.