Summer Mentorship Undergraduate Research Scholar
University of Pennsylvania
Elizabeth Nguyen is a Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research (SUMR) Intern at the Leonard Davis Institute of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. As an aspiring physician and health services researcher, she advocates for harm reduction, holistic well-being, and health equity interventions that respect the dignity of every individual.
As a member of the Philadelphia team for THRIVE (Teaching Harm Reduction in Vulnerable Environments) under the guidance of Dr. Deanna Wilson and Kelsey Leon at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, she explores how healthcare systems can better respond to the needs of unhoused people who use drugs. Elizabeth’s work will inform a future hospital-based intervention focused on offering full-spectrum addiction services (including MOUD and harm reduction) to individuals during acute hospitalization. She also conducts qualitative research with Dr. Stephen Bonett at Penn Nursing to investigate how transitional housing programs improve health, economic, and psychological outcomes for people living with HIV. Her work will inform the evaluation of a new Philadelphia Department of Public Health-funded program featuring Housing First principles and policies of harm reduction, low-barrier methods, and client autonomy.
In addition to her work in health services research, Elizabeth is passionate about harm reduction, health equity, and serving marginalized populations. Her experience with the Shepherd Poverty Program, harm reduction outreach in Philadelphia, and prior work in Utica, NY informs her commitment to understanding and addressing the unique healthcare challenges faced by individuals with mental health conditions such as substance use disorder. Through these experiences and previous research in diet-induced obesity and stress physiology, Elizabeth developed her focus on implementation science and relational harm reduction. Through compassionate patient-centered care and policy advocacy, she hopes to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups in medicine and research.
Elizabeth is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Poverty & Human Capability Studies at Washington & Lee University and is expected to graduate in May 2025.
