Emily A. Parker

Emily A. Parker, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Bloustein School of Rutgers University, where she joined in 2023. Previously, she served as a National Institute on Aging (NIA) Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Population Studies Center. Her education includes a Ph.D. and M.A. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and a B.A. in Sociology from American University.

Her research focuses on the intersections of public policy, health, and poverty, particularly examining the healthcare safety net (e.g., Community Health Centers, Medicaid) and federal place-based policies targeting disadvantaged areas. She also explores gender, race/ethnicity, and family dynamics in policy contexts. Her work has been published in journals like Social Science & Medicine and Journal of Marriage and Family, earning recognition from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management and the American Sociological Association.

Dr. Parker’s scholarship emphasizes policy evaluation, spatial demography, and the socioeconomic determinants of health. Her recent articles analyze historical redlining’s impact on modern policies, STEM graduate employment disparities, and rural economic opportunity through place-based interventions. She employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to address systemic inequities in healthcare access and community development.