As a research associate professor, Dr. Debra Brucker studies the economic, health and social well-being of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. She has over 25 years of applied policy research experience and has held social and health policy research positions at academic institutions, research organizations, and state government agencies. She currently serves as 1) Principal Investigator (PI) on a two-year US Department of Agriculture funded project to develop improved measurement of food security for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; 2) Co-PI on a five-year National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant that is exploring how Long COVID has impacted living and working for people with disabilities; 3) PI of a University of Michigan Retirement and Disability Research Consortium one-year grant that is examining how to improve access to Social Security disability and retirement benefits for rural persons; and, 4) Co-PI on five-year NIDILRR grant that trains the next generation of disability employment policy researchers. Dr. Brucker is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
