Professor Lauren Schmitz joined the Holtz Center last year, during her initial year on the UW-Madison campus. This assistant professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs joined the Holtz Center to connect with other faculty who are engaged in cross-disciplinary work. She states that she wanted to connect with UW colleagues “who are using innovative methods to bridge knowledge in the social and hard sciences”.
Dr. Schmitz’s research utilizes social, genomic, and epigenomic data from population-based longitudinal studies to examine how inequalities in the social environment shape disparities in health and socioeconomic attainment.
In 2017, she received a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the NIA to examine social determinants of epigenetic processes related to aging and neurodegenerative disease. Her research has also been supported by the NIA, the National Science Foundation, the Social Security Administration, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the March of Dimes. Professor Schmitz received her Ph.D. in Economics from the New School and an M.S. in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan.
Professor Schmitz will be giving a lunch seminar series presentation with the Holtz Center on Thursday, October 1 at 12:30 pm. Stay informed regarding her online presentation, by subscribing to our newsletter.