Dr. Elizabeth Ekren

Dr. Elizabeth Ekren is a Research Associate at the Translational Health Research Center. Her primary expertise is in the areas of international development studies, policy and legal analysis, and multidimensional empowerment and resiliency frameworks. Dr. Ekren supports the continued expansion and design of THRC’s resiliency research programs.

Dr. Ekren has conducted a wide range of development and policy analysis research in diverse private-sector, governmental, and academic contexts. Her current research examines the social determinants of health and place-based drivers of health behaviors in rural Texas communities. She is also leading various projects relating to the social and institutional factors driving successful emergency preparedness and disaster readiness in Texas schools and hospitals. Adept with qualitative and quantitative approaches, Dr. Ekren has extensive experience coordinating large-scale interdisciplinary projects in settings of applied public health and sociology.

Dr. Ekren received her BA in Psychology and Russian Language from Yale University. She received her MS in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She received her PhD in Development Studies from the University of Bonn, Germany.