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Hire Dr. Lauren B.

United States

USD 200 /hr

Implementation Science & Public Health Evaluation Expert | Helping Organizations Turn Data into Actionable Insights

Profile Summary

I am a public health researcher and consultant specializing in implementation science and program evaluation, with a focus on helping organizations translate data into clear, actionable insights. My work centers on understanding why real-world initiatives succeed or struggle—particularly in complex community and systems-level interventions. I am currently a PhD candidate in Public Health with formal training in behavioral, social, and health education sciences. My research focuses on how outer contextual factors (e.g., funding, policy environment, community relationships, and infrastructure) influence the implementation of policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies for chronic disease prevention. Methodologically, I bring strong expertise in mixed-methods research, including survey design, scale development, quantitative analysis (SAS, SPSS), and qualitative data interpretation. I am particularly skilled at working with complex or imperfect real-world data and translating findings into concise, decision-relevant deliverables for stakeholders. In addition to academic research, I support nonprofits, public health organizations, and community-based initiatives with: -Program evaluation design and refinement -Survey and measurement development -Data analysis and interpretation -Rapid synthesis of findings into reports, briefs, or presentations My approach is collaborative, practical, and grounded in real-world constraints. I help you identify what's working, what is not, and what to do next.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Data Analysis
• ☆ Public Health
• ☆ Research Methodology
• ☆ Survey Design & Methodology

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI

Writing Technical Writing

Research Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review, Secondary Data Collection

Consulting Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Statistical Analysis

Work Experience

Emory University

- Present

Graduate Research Associate

Emory University

August 2020 - Present

Education

PhD

Emory University

August 2020 - Present

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Michelle C. Kegler, April Hermstad, Alexis J. Smith, Lauren Bigger, Tina Anderson Smith, Melissa G. Line, Shadé Owolabi, Regine Haardӧrfer (2026). Community readiness to address rural health equity: Progress and challenges across eleven Georgia communities . SSM - Qualitative Research in Health.

Lauren M. Bigger, April Hermstad, Regine Haardörfer, Kimberly Jacob Arriola, Kelley Ditzel, Michelle C. Kegler (2026). Community Coalitions Implementing and Sustaining Policy, Systems and Environment Strategies for Rural Health Equity . Health Education & Behavior.

Lauren M. Bigger, Robin E. McGee, Alexis Smith, Regine Haardörfer, April Hermstad, Michelle C. Kegler (2026). Social capital's association with self-reported health outcomes in the rural south: variations by demographic subgroup . Frontiers in Public Health.

April K. Hermstad, Lauren M. Bigger, Karen Ebey-Tessendorf, Gloria C. Simmons, Michelle C. Kegler (2026). Implementing nutrition policy, system and environmental change strategies in a rural food pantry to improve nutrition security: contextual factors and outcomes . Public Health Nutrition.

Kegler, M. C., Hermstad, A., Bigger, L., Smith, T. A., Line, M. G., Goldson, A., Smith, A. J., & Haardörfer, R. (2025). A mixed methods analysis of community capacity to address health equity in the rural Southern U.S. International journal for equity in health, 24(1), 223. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02589-x .

Cerra C. Antonacci, Michelle C. Kegler, Lauren Bigger, April Hermstad, Karen Ebey‐Tessendorf, Regine Haardörfer (2025). Individual‐ and environmental‐level determinants of fruit and vegetable intakes in rural Georgia . The Journal of Rural Health.

Kimberly Jacob Arriola, Tatenda Mangurenje Merken, Lauren Bigger, Regine Haardörfer, April Hermstad, Shade Owolabi, Jerry Daniel, Michelle Kegler (2024). Understanding the relationship between social capital, health, and well‐being in a southern rural population . The Journal of Rural Health.

Michelle C. Kegler, Lauren Bigger, April Hermstad, Elizabeth Eidson, Joy Goens Thomas, Samantha Bourque Tucker, Regine Haardörfer (2023). Differences in Health Care Access and Use by Gender, Race, Income, Age and Employment among Residents of the Rural South . Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

Jack T. Dennerlein, Daniel Weinstein, Whitney Huynh, Jamie Tessler, Lauren Bigger, Lauren Murphy, Justin Manjourides (2020). Associations between a safety prequalification survey and worker safety experiences on commercial construction sites . American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

BOOK CHAPTER

Michelle C. Kegler, Lauren M. Bigger (2024). Community Coalitions and Empowerment . The Cambridge Handbook of Community Empowerment.