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Elizabeth Mumford

Pronouns: Any

Senior Fellow
Elizabeth is a social epidemiologist focused on resilience and the prevention of interpersonal conflict, abuse, and behavioral and mental health problems.

Elizabeth provides research project management, conceptual design, and technical direction across diverse studies, including evaluability assessments, experimental program evaluations, nationally representative longitudinal observational studies, multi-mode data collection, dyadic measurement, integration of survey data from multiple sources, and saturated sample social network research.  Populations with which Elizabeth has worked include military, law enforcement, correctional, and firefighter personnel facing high-risk professional responsibilities, clinicians, social and victim service providers, educational administrators, youth and young adults, women of reproductive age and pregnant women, and users of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances.

Elizabeth maintains an active research program in interpersonal behaviors, such as her nationally representative research regarding technology-facilitated abuse through her Cyber-Abuse Research Initiative (CARI). Additionally, she directs experimental studies evaluating prevention programming for the Department of Defense and resilience programming within school communities. Investigating dating violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, she led the longitudinal National Survey of Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV) and the national Interpersonal Conflict and Resolution (iCOR) study. Elizabeth leads the Officer Safety and Wellness (OSAW) Initiative, as part of a broader research program in the well-being of high-stress professionals, including law enforcement and correctional officers. Important to Elizabeth’s research is attention to disparities associated with disadvantaged populations in terms of gender, sexual orientation, trauma profiles, developmental processes, and environmental context.

Elizabeth is trained in the theoretical framework and delivery of multiple trauma therapies, including MindFitness, HeartMath, and Somatic Experiencing Practice. Prior to her career in research, Elizabeth worked internationally with multiple government agencies in program management and evaluation addressing strategic planning, program development, and policy formation and evaluation.  

Elizabeth also founded the Goal:Resilience blog on NORC.org with colleagues across the organization to share insights from their work on human resilience and how we cope with stressors and trauma.

Education

PhD

Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health

MHS

Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health

BA

Cornell University

Project Contributions

National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV)

A longitudinal social epidemiological study of youth and young adult experiences of aggression and violence, parent/caregiver perspectives, and relevant risk and protective factors

Client:

National Institute of Justice

Buffalo Network Evaluability Assessment

Determining the evaluation readiness of a metropolitan network service delivery model for trafficked persons

Funder:

National Institute of Justice

HeartMath for Youth Resiliency & Violence Prevention

Pilot testing an educational program to build youth resilience and conflict management skills

Client:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Hate Incident Reporting Initiative to Strengthen Engagement in LGBTQ+ Communities (HIRISE+)

A research-to-translation project assessing decisions to report hate crimes from LGBTQ+ adults and law enforcement

Client:

National Institute of Justice

HRSA Strategy to Address Intimate Partner Violence

Updating the federal government’s strategy for addressing and responding to intimate partner violence

Client:

Health Resources and Services Administration

Cyber-Abuse Research Initiative (CARI)

A comprehensive nationally representative study of technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) among U.S. young adults ages 18-35

Client:

U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women

Understanding the Economic Needs of Sexual Assault Survivors

Evaluation of a rape crisis center’s innovative economic case management program

Client:

Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

Campus Sexual Assault Responses (CSAR)

The first nationally representative study to investigate campuses’ cooperative approaches to addressing sexual assault

Client:

National Institute of Justice

Elder Abuse Survivor Equity (EASE) Study

Applying a cultural lens to personal and technology-facilitated elder abuse to better protect diverse communities

Client:

National Institute of Justice

Evaluating the U.S. Military’s Sexual Assault Prevention Programs

Rigorous evaluation of five initiatives aimed at preventing sexual harassment and sexual assault

Funder:

U.S. Department of Defense

Evaluation Training and Technical Assistance Center (ETAC)

Evaluation training, TA, and rigorous evaluations for DoD sexual assault prevention activities

Client:

Department of Defense (DoD)

Positive Adolescent Interpersonal Relationships (PAIR)

Expanding NORC’s STRiV research to reflect diverse adolescent experiences and communities

Client:

National Institute of Justice

Growing Up with Guns Study

The first nationally representative longitudinal survey of youth and young adults on exposure to firearm violence

Client:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Family Resilience Program Evaluation

Evaluating a positive parenting intervention for English, Spanish, and Amharic-speaking participants

Client:

Parent Encouragement Program