Isabelle Cohen joined University of Washington at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance in 2021. Her research focuses on innovations and their potential to change the implementation of governmental and non-governmental activities and services in developing countries, using large-scale randomized control trials to rigorously evaluate new technologies and organizational methods. Her work also touches on many other important issues, including state capacity, taxation, education, financial inclusion, health services, and women’s empowerment. She has done research in a variety of countries, including Uganda, India, Peru, and Greece.
Isabelle holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.P.P. from the College of William & Mary, and a B.A. in International Relations from the College of William & Mary. Prior to beginning her doctorate, Isabelle worked as a Research Manager at the Centre for Microfinance at IFMR Lead in Tamil Nadu, India.
Vedavati Patwardhan is a quantitative public policy researcher focusing on gender equality and health in low and middle-income countries, with an emphasis on women’s economic empowerment. Her research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Health Economics, The Lancet Public Health, The Economic and Labour Relations Review, and The Journal of Development Studies. Vedavati is a Research Scientist-Consultant at the Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California, San Diego. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Gender Equality Metrics team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). She is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy at UW Seattle and holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Management from the University of Washington.
Taylor Danielson is a Research Manager in the Department of Social and Health Services Research and Data Analysis Division for Washington State.
Dr. Waithaka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at George Mason University. His research focuses on intergenerational social and economic mobility during young adults’ transitions to adulthood, with a particular focus on the role of family capital (resources & processes) and public policies influence on young adults’ life outcomes. His research on young adults, both in the United States and in East Africa, focuses on educational attainment, economic engagement and asset development. He has taught a variety of courses including research methods, macro practice, poverty and inequality, human behavior and the social environment, and social work for social justice. He has practice experience in various capacities including non-profit consulting, survey research, program evaluation and being a community support worker for individuals living with disabilities. Dr. Waithaka is a graduate of Daystar University Kenya (BA), Washington University in St. Louis (MSW) and the University of Washington Seattle (PhD, MPA).
Michelle Lee is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Organizations at Queen’s University. Michelle’s research involves studying top executives and CEOs of public companies and involves large panel datasets including data from the Census Bureau. Her dissertation research studies how the social class background of executives affects their promotion likelihood and career outcomes. In doing so, Michelle’s dissertation research tries to understand whether inequalities from childhood may be perpetuated and affect later career outcomes. Michelle’s current projects include her dissertation projects, a study on how shareholder activism influences a CEO’s CSR policies at their next firm, and a project studying how pro bono at law firms affects employee retention.
Bridget Pavelle is a demographer and Senior Research Manager with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Research and Data Analysis Division (RDA). She received her PhD in public policy and sociology from the University of Michigan in 2013 and her MS in statistics from Iowa State University in 2008. In her current role, she works primarily with administrative data on projects relating to child and family well-being, food and cash assistance, and mental health and substance use disorder services. Her work involves program monitoring and quasi-experimental evaluation of a range of health and social policy interventions for clients receiving publicly funded services. She shares the results of her work through direct consultation with program leaders and policy makers, published research briefs, and presentations to research and policy conferences as well as various workgroups. Her work aims to support the welfare of and improve services for Washington’s most vulnerable populations.
Technology has an impact on our health. But what impact does it have on healthcare? This is the question that Youngjun seeks to explore in his dissertation. On the one hand, Youngjun sees the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) as an advanced means in the social service delivery system. But on the other hand, he understands that many caregivers will not benefit from such services because they lack internet access and computer skills.
To carry out his research, Youngjun draws upon theories on the digital divide, social support, and cognitive enrichment to examine the impacts of ICT’s on health and psychological well-being among older Americans. Specifically, he hopes to identify the influential factors in the digital divide among older adults, the benefits of the digital life on psychological outcomes, and the impact of cognitive stimulating activity on older adults participating in digital life.
For having been part of the Aging with Pride Study, the first nationally funded longitudinal study to examine the health and well-being of LGBT older adults, Youngjun hopes to push his research forward, so that it will contribute to the Grand Challenges for Social Work by harnessing technologies for social good.
Gregory Bratman is an Associate Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences; Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, as well as the Director of the Environment and Well-Being Lab. His work takes place at the nexus of psychology, public health and ecology, and is focused on investigating the ways in which the environment is associated with human well-being. He takes both empirical and theoretical approaches to understand how nature experience impacts human mental well-being, specifically cognitive function, mood and emotion regulation, with an emphasis on people living in urban environments. He is also working to inform the ways that the mental health effects of nature can be incorporated into ecosystem service studies, and in efforts to address health inequities. Gregory is a JPB Harvard Environmental Health Fellow and the Doug Walker Endowed Professor.