Elizabeth Joanne Gifford PhD

Beth Gifford

Core Faculty

Elizabeth Joanne Gifford, PhD

Degrees

PhD, Pennsylvania State University

MS, Pennsylvania State University

Beth Gifford is a research professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, a core faculty member of the Center for Child and Family Policy and the Margolis Center for Health Policy. She leads a multidisciplinary research team that examines the health and social services engagement of children and families. Motivating her research is the need to understand how social policies and practices can better support children and families. Her work spans many public institutions including education, social services, criminal justice, and health care systems. She is the Director of the Health Policy Certificate Program and the Health Policy and Innovation Theme Leader for Bass Connections.

Pathak GA, Koller D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Nono Djotsa ABS, Wendt FR, De Lillo A, et al. Unraveling the genetics of gulf war illness in diverse participants enrolled in the million veteran program. Hum Mol Genet. 2026 May 11;35(8).

Qiu D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, He J, Steele L, Quaden R, Harrington KM, et al. Genomic interplay between deployment exposures and Gulf War illness in Million Veteran Program participants. Hum Genomics. 2026 Mar 27;20(1).

Swanson JW, Tong G, Easter MM, Caves Sivaraman J, Gifford EJ, Evans KE, et al. Juvenile Records and Adult Gun Violence: Evidence From Three States With Divergent Firearm Age Policies. J Interpers Violence. 2026 Jan 31;8862605251414442.