Biographical Info of Elizabeth Frankenberg

Elizabeth Frankenberg is a professor within the Department of Public Policy Studies at Duke University, where she joined the faculty in 2007. She has also been an associate professor within the departments of Sociology and Community Health Services at UCLA since 2005. Before beginning her career in education, she held various positions at RAND, including Director of the NICHD Post-doctoral training program and the Hewlett Foundation Training Program in International Demography, Associate Director of the Population Research Center, and Social Scientist. Professor Frankenberg earned her Ph.D. in Demography and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. Professor Frankenberg’s research focuses specifically on health care, mortality, developing economies, decision-making within families, and Southeast Asia. She recently received three grants from the National Institute of Aging to conduct studies on “Older Adults and their Families in Mexico,” the “Evolution of Well-being of Older Adults After a Disaster,” and “Long-term Effects of Natural Disasters on Social and Economic Well-being.” She is also currently working on a project, funded by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation, to study “Reproductive Health, Empowerment of Women, and Economic Prosperity.” In the past, she has also received grants from the Fogarty International Institute, the National Science Foundation Program on Human and Social Dynamics, and the MacArthur Foundation, to name a few. Professor Frankenberg has published her research findings and insights in numerous prestigious academic journals throughout her career. Her paper with A. Buttenheim, B. Sikoki and W. Suriastini entitled, “Do Women Respond to Expansions in Reproductive Health Care?”, recently appeared in Studies in Family Planning. Her work with J. Nobles on “Mothers’ Community Participation and Child Health”, appeared in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Her work has also been published in the American Journal of Public Health, Globalization and Poverty, Populations, and the Journal of Development Economics. In addition to her papers and articles, she has also published three books. Along with sharing her work through publication, Professor Frankenberg has also presented her work extensively around the country. Her latest talks were given on the topics of “Estimates of the Tsunami’s Impact on Mortality in Indonesia” and “The Impact of the Tsunami on Mental Health in Sumatra, Indonesia.” She has been invited to present her work at the Population Association of America annual meetings, the DuPRI summer seminars, Yale University, the University of Maryland, the World Bank, and at several other universities and seminars.