Elizabeth Budd

Dr. Liz Budd (she/her/hers) is an Evergreen Assistant Professor situated within the College of Education, Counseling Psychology and Human Services Department, and affiliated with the Family and Human Services and Prevention Science programs. Dr. Budd is also a member of the Health Promotion Initiative (https://blogs.uoregon.edu/hpop/) and Prevention Science Institute. Nationally, Dr. Budd holds leadership roles in the Physical Activity Section of the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Budd’s teaching and research interests are centrally located in the field of public health, but are transdisciplinary in nature, reflective of her training. The goal of her research is to prevent the onset of chronic diseases, especially among groups with heightened risk, in order to achieve population-level health equity. Specifically, she examines the policies and environmental factors (social and physical) that influence physical activity and healthy eating. She has a particular interest in youth, adolescent girls, and Latino/a/x community members. Dr. Budd also works to implement, evaluate, and foster the sustainability of evidence-based interventions to promote healthy behaviors in community settings.

Dr. Budd enjoys weaving her research into her teaching of Contemporary Issues in Public Health and Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving in Public Health, often employing standing ovations and other physical activity breaks throughout class. Dr. Budd grew up in Oregon, but completed most of her training in St. Louis, Missouri. She encourages undergraduate and graduate students to reach out to her if they are interested in gaining research experience.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

I am committed to honoring and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in my research and teaching. The ultimate goal of my research is to move us closer to the elimination of health disparities by gender, race, ethnicity, body size, age, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. For example, some of my recent collaborative research has involved developing and disseminating training to reduce body size bias and discrimination in workplace settings and to reduce body size bias internalization. Related to teaching, my undergraduate and graduate public health courses aim to prepare students to work alongside community members in assessing and addressing priority community health problems to advance health equity. As a mentor, I use a team-based approach to support our academic, professional, and emotional development through our unique but interconnected learning journeys. For instance, my research team meets bi-monthly to share project updates, exchange feedback, and encourage each other. To that end, my research team and I love working with McNair Scholars and aim to advise 1-2 scholars each year. My transdisciplinary, collaborative approach to research, teaching, and mentorship reflects my belief that we are more effective at problem-solving when we strive to understand diverse perspectives and work together toward a common goal.

Meet Dr. Elizabeth Budd