Elizabeth Feder is a program evaluator and policy analyst at the UW Population Health Institute, working on a range of projects that span public health and health care, including Health Impact Assessments and policy-oriented program evaluations with an emphasis on community mental health and substance use disorders. She conducts qualitative and mixed-methods evaluations and works directly with community coalitions to help them develop their capacity for community outreach, strategic planning, program implementation, and evaluation. Her evaluation work is guided by the belief that evaluation is a collaborative tool for promoting social justice.
She joined the Institute in 2009 and until 2016 was the former director of the Evidence Based Health Policy Project, a knowledge-exchange that connects academic researchers with public and private sector policy-makers and decision leaders. Dr. Feder has taught this content with both public health and medical students.
Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Feder served as an analyst at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, where she provided extensive technical support for Colorado’s appointed Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. She has also conducted research on state options to finance health care reform and on the affordability of health care.
Dr. Feder earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. She was an associate professor at Colorado College for 12 years, where she taught Health, Disease, and Society; Women and Health; and Women and Public Policy, among other subjects. She has served as a public member of the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners and was a Governor’s appointee on the Colorado Pay Equity Commission. Dr. Feder has held elective office, serving as Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem on the Manitou Springs, Colorado, City Council from 2005 until May 2009. Now in Wisconsin, she serves on several professional and community boards.