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 (RDRC) one-year grant that is examining how to improve access to Social Security disability and retirement benefits for rural persons; and, 4) PI on a University of Michigan RDRC one-year grant this is using community-based participatory research to examine barriers and facilitators to SSA access for minority persons with psychiatric disabilities; 5) PI on a University of Wisconsin RDRC one-year grant that is using community-engaged research to examine service needs of minority persons who have Long COVID as they access SSA and vocational rehabilitation service systems. Dr. Brucker is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
