Lauren Herckis

About Lauren Herckis

Dr. Lauren Herckis is an anthropologist and Senior Director of the Center for Global Research and Policy, a Global Health Workforce Development Institute think-tank supported by TruMerit, an NGO with Consultative Status to the United Nations. Her research at the intersection of technological change, the learning sciences, and effective teaching guides the development of technology-enhanced learning experiences and helps leaders in higher education and competency-based assessment develop resilient postsecondary infrastructure around the world. Dr. Herckis is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University, where she has an appointment in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. She earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and has previously worked as part of the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Her current research, supported by the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Science Foundation, explores the adoption of AI-augmented and collaborative learning, the digitalization of higher education, and immersive pedagogies. Recent projects have examined the barriers to effective use of evidence-based tools and practices, explored the ways that technological literacy shapes teaching strategies, and produced protocols which help educators employ effective technology-enhanced learning tools with fidelity. Past work has been supported by the Hillman Family Foundations, Fulbright Institute of International Education, California Education Learning Labs, the Global Learning Council, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and a POD Early Career Researcher Award.

Experience

1. Senior Director, Center for Global Research and Policy

   Trumerit Cgfns

   Jan 2024 — Present

   As Senior Director of the Center for Global Research and Policy, I catalyze a robust research and development agenda that will contribute to global human resources for health scholarship through inquiry around the global health workforce, care delivery, and lifelong learning issues, broadly defined. This work encompasses both basic research to advance intellectual inquiry and applied research around operationalizing concepts. A primary goal of the Center is contribution to the evolving needs of global healthcare and health professionals worldwide. As the world faces an unprecedented health workforce crisis that begs for disruptive thinking to deliver practical solutions, our Center commits to disseminating results of research through publications, policy briefs, and presentations, nationally and globally.

Education

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Postdoctoral Fellowship , Learning Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction

• University of Michigan

  Bachelor's degree, Anthropology

• University of Pittsburgh

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Anthropology

  2015

• University of Pittsburgh

  Certificate in Latin American Studies

  2007

Skills

• Curriculum Development
• Spanish
• Higher Education
• Program Evaluation
• Social Sciences
• Data Management
• Research Design
• Psychology
• Instructional Design
• Electrics
• Quantitative Research
• Grant Writing
• Research
• Qualitative Research
• Field Research
• Teaching
• Anthropology
• Spss
• Ethnography
• Sustainable Development
• Statistics
• Editing
• University Teaching