Elizabeth Wildsmith, PhD, is a family demographer and sociologist with expertise in sexual and reproductive health and health services, fertility, social and family demography, family dynamics and healthy relationships, and economic well-being. Her research aims to describe and deepen the field’s understanding of the characteristics, needs, and resources of populations who are supported by human service policies and programs, generating insights that can inform and strengthen them. A core element of Dr. Wildsmith’s work is recognizing the role of context, drawing on social determinants of health and socio-ecological frameworks. She is also deeply committed to research translation, ensuring that findings are clear, accessible, and actionable for both technical and nontechnical audiences. 

Dr. Wildsmith has won, led, and/or managed multiple scientific projects, including those funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE); the Office of Population Affairs (OPA); and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over the past decade, Dr. Wildsmith has helped lead two large, multi-partner research centers funded by OPRE—the National Research Center for Hispanic Children & Families (Hispanic Center) and the Marriage Strengthening Research & Dissemination (MAST) Center. She currently is co-principal investigator of an NIH-funded R03 grant to study the impact of COVID on birth outcomes among Hispanic women.  

Dr. Wildsmith has been a primary or supporting author on over 35 Child Trends research products and almost 30 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Marriage and Family, and Demographic Research. Her work has been cited by mainstream media, including the New York Times, Axios, the Los Angeles Times, and the PBS NewsHour. Prior to joining Child Trends, Dr. Wildsmith was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania focused on developing the field of population health. She currently serves on the Board of the Interdisciplinary Association of Population Health Science (IAPHS) and as a deputy editor of the journal Demographic Research.