Laura J. Chavez, PhD, MPH
Contact Information
Dr. Chavez is a health services researcher. Her research program primarily focuses on access to and quality of prevention and treatment services for behavioral health conditions among youth. Through this work she seeks to address population behavioral health equity and improve understanding of the social drivers of outcomes for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Chavez has a strong background in statistical analysis, causal inference, and use of health care claims data for research. She has received federal funding for her research and currently leads an R01, funded by NIMHD, using mixed-methods research and national Medicaid claims data to examine multilevel contributors to sociodemographic differences in the use of tonsillectomy among children. In addition, she is evaluating the effects of pandemic-related policy changes to the 2021 Child Tax Credit and its impact on adolescent and caregiver mental health with funding from the Urban Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health. She also currently serves as the site principal investigator (PI) or co-PI for NIDA funded trials evaluating interventions to improve behavioral health outcomes of youth diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) or youth experiencing homelessness. Dr. Chavez earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in health services from the University of Washington, School of Public Health, receiving funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (T32-training grant and R36 dissertation grant). She completed her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University College of Public Health in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy and was a fellow in the Patient-Centered Pediatric Research Program at Nationwide Children’s AWRI.
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Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research
Principal Investigator -
Primary Department
Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research
Date of Appointment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital: 03/13/2023
| Graduate School | University of Washington | Date Completed: 08/28/2015 |
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| Graduate School | University of Washington | Date Completed: 06/01/2011 |
| Undergraduate School | University of North Carolina | Date Completed: 06/01/2004 |
2021 - Present Nationwide Children's Hospital, Data Scientist II
2019 - 2021 Nationwide Children's Hospital, Senior Research Scientist