Dr. Lauren Clay

About

Lauren Clay is a disaster scientist and public health researcher. She is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her research focuses on health impacts of disasters. Her expertise is in disaster food and nutrition insecurity. In 2021, she was awarded NSF CAREER and NSF Convergence Accelerator awards focused on food system resilience to disasters. In 2022, she served as the inaugural Climate and Health Scholar with NIMHD. She has a PhD in Disaster Science and Management from University of Delaware and a Master of Public Health from Drexel University.

Research interests

Community, household, and individual health consequences of disasters and public health emergencies; food environment disruption and food and nutrition insecurity following disasters; stress and mental health; individual and household capital; community resilience

Teaching interests

Research methods, disaster recovery, global health, public health impacts of disasters, thesis and dissertation seminar

Education

  • Ph D, Disaster Science and ManagementUniversity of Delaware (2014)
    The Influence of Community Social Institutions on individual Disaster Recovery: A Multilevel Analysis
  • Other, Public HealthDrexel University (2010)
    Post‐ Earthquake Haiti: How to Meet the Needs Identified
  • BA, HistoryLa Salle University (2005)
    The Impact of the My Lai Massacre on the US Military as an Institution