Center for Child & Family Policy | Duke University

Elizabeth J. Gifford

Associate Research Professor, Sanford School of Public Policy, and Faculty Affiliate, Center for Child and Family Policy

Beth Gifford is an associate research professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy. Gifford leads the Social and Economic Component of the Children’s Discovery Institute housed within the Duke School of Medicine. She is also a co-PI on two studies that examine the intergenerational effects of parental involvement in the criminal justice system, funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Her primary research interests involve evaluating programs and policies that are designed to improve outcomes for vulnerable children. These populations include children who live in low-income families, are in the juvenile justice system or in foster care, require special education or have emotional and or behavioral problems.

Research Interests

• Child Maltreatment
• Children and the law
• Education
• Intergenerational effects of criminal justice policies

Research Projects:

• Director of Data Initiatives: North Carolina Education Research Data Center and Durham Children’s Data Center
• Scientific Leader for the Children’s Health & Discovery Institute: Social & Economic Factors
• Intergenerational Effects of Parental Criminal Involvement on Children’s Health
• Veteran’s Affairs: Gulf War Illness and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Research Interests:
Program Evaluation, Public Policy, Child Maltreatment, Children and the Law, Education, Poverty and Inequality

Education:

• Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University - 2005
• M.S. Pennsylvania State University - 2000
• B.S. Cornell University - 1997

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. Wong, CA; Ming, D; Maslow, G; Gifford, EJ (2020). Mitigating the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response on At-Risk Children.. Pediatrics, 146(1), e20200973-e20200973. [doi]


2. Howard, J; Copeland, JN; Gifford, EJ; Lawson, J; Bai, Y; Heilbron, N; Maslow, G (2021). Brief Report: Classifying Rates of Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability in North Carolina: Roles of Race and Economic Disadvantage.. J Autism Dev Disord, 51(1), 307-314. [doi]  [abs]


3. Gifford, EJ; Evans, KE; Eldred Kozecke, L; Sloan, FA (2020). Mothers and fathers in the criminal justice system and children's child protective services involvement.. Child abuse & neglect, 101, 104306. [doi]  [abs]


4. Rosen, DL; Gifford, EJ; Ashkin, EA (2019). Overwhelming Need, Insufficient Health Care for Justice-involved North Carolinians. North Carolina Medical Journal, 80(6), 339-343. [doi]


5. Gifford, EJ (2019). How Incarceration Affects the Health of Communities and Families.. North Carolina medical journal, 80(6), 372-375. [doi]  [abs]


6. Gifford, EJ; Eldred Kozecke, L; Golonka, M; Hill, SN; Costello, EJ; Shanahan, L; Copeland, WE (2019). Association of Parental Incarceration With Psychiatric and Functional Outcomes of Young Adults.. JAMA Netw Open, 2(8), e1910005. [doi]  [abs]


7. Brown, MC; Sims, KJ; Gifford, EJ; Goldstein, KM; Johnson, MR; Williams, CD; Provenzale, D (2019). Gender-based Differences among 1990-1991 Gulf War Era Veterans: Demographics, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Health Conditions.. Womens Health Issues, 29 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), S47-S55. [doi]  [abs]


8. Hunt, CM; Turner, MJ; Gifford, EJ; Britt, RB; Su, GL (2019). Identifying and Treating Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.. Fed Pract, 36(1), 20-29.  [abs]


9. Sloan, FA; Gifford, EJ; Evans, KE; Kozecke, LE (2019). Does Having a Minor Child Affect Criminal Charges and Sanctions Imposed on Female Defendants?. Women & Criminal Justice, 1-22. [doi]


10. Patel, YA; Gifford, EJ; Glass, LM; Turner, MJ; Han, B; Moylan, CA; Choi, S; Suzuki, A; Provenzale, D; Hunt, CM (2018). Correction to: Identifying Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Advanced Fibrosis in the Veterans Health Administration.. Dig Dis Sci, 63(10), 2813-2814. [doi]  [abs]

Curriculum Vitae