John Shaughnessy Lecture

Kari Carris, Ph.D., Vice President of Health Sciences at NORC, The University of Chicago; 1996 Hope College Alumna, ‟Research Methods: The Tie that Binds”

Dr. Kari Carris will discuss how exposure to and experience with social science research methods while at Hope College has informed and shaped her career conducting surveys and statistical analysis while working for one of the nation's oldest independent research institutes, NORC at The University of Chicago. She has conducted studies on a variety of topics ranging from children's eyewitness testimony, juror decision making, problem gambling, health disparities, and women's reproductive health. She will share real-world examples of how a solid grounding in research methods has allowed her to contribute to a wide variety of projects that inform policies at national, state, and local levels. 

Biography:                                                                                                            
Kari Nysse Carris, PhD, is Vice President of Health Sciences at NORC (formerly known as the National Opinion Research Center). In that role, she provides methodological expertise to clients, managerial leadership to staff, and assists with the development and oversight of NORC’s health research portfolio. Carris leads multidisciplinary teams to design, develop, and deliver complex survey data and analytic products used by federal agencies, foundations, and researchers to inform policy decisions in the public health, health care, mental health arenas. Her expertise spans a range of data collection methodologies and modes, having directed telephone, in-person, web, and  self-administered survey projects. She graduated from Hope College in 1996 with majors in  Psychology and Sociology. She received her doctorate in Social Psychology from The University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002.