Beth Gifford

Beth Gifford is a Research Professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, with affiliations at the Center for Child and Family Policy and the Margolis Institute for Health Policy. She leads multidisciplinary research addressing health and social services engagement among children and families, emphasizing the impact of public policies on vulnerable populations. Her work spans education, social services, criminal justice, and healthcare systems, with a focus on adolescence-to-adulthood transitions, child welfare, and pandemic-related disparities.

Key roles include Director of the Undergraduate Health Policy Certificate Program and Health Policy and Innovation Theme Leader for Bass Connections. Her research explores systemic inequities in access to care, gun violence prevention, and interventions targeting childhood food insecurity. She has published extensively on Gulf War veterans' health, juvenile justice outcomes, and the effects of adverse childhood experiences.

Her publications analyze firearm-related criminal behavior among youth with juvenile records, racial disparities in healthcare access during the pandemic, and strategies to mitigate child maltreatment through healthcare systems. Gifford’s work bridges academic research with policy implementation, advocating for evidence-based solutions to complex social challenges.