Judith L. Perrigo

Judith L. Perrigo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and serves as Research Director for the Data Informed Futures (DIF) project at the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities. Her work bridges clinical practice and academic research, focusing on prevention and early intervention (PEI) strategies to address structural inequities impacting early childhood development.

• Education: Ph.D. and M.S.W. from the University of Southern California

Research Interests: Centered on holistic wellbeing for children aged 0–5, with emphasis on economic security, early learning environments, and health disparities. She leverages qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches tailored to equity-centered PEI frameworks.

Projects: Includes population-level studies using the Early Development Instrument (EDI) and multi-year randomized controlled trials on unconditional cash transfers. Her work prioritizes strengths-based, culturally responsive methodologies and accessibility of findings.

Funding Sources: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Society for Research in Child Development, First 5 Orange County, Council on Social Work Education, and Los Angeles County.