Susan L. Parish

Susan L. Parish, PhD, MSW is the Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Disability Policy, the director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the director of the doctoral program in social policy at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.

Her research examines the health and financial well-being of children and adults with disabilities, as well as their caregiving families. She is particularly interested in the impact of health and poverty policies on people with disabilities and their caregiving families. Her research has been funded by federal, state, and foundation sources, including HRSA and the US Department of Education (NIDRR). Parish teaches classes in disability policy and both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

She has won numerous awards for her teaching and her research, including the Padgett Early Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research and the Research Matters! award from the Arc of the United States. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.