Nancy Erbstein, Ph.D.

Nancy Erbstein holds a research faculty appointment in the University of California Davis, Department of Human and Community Development.  Her research focuses on understanding and addressing disparities in youth well being in California by studying the impact of socio-spatial environments on their development. In addition, she explores the effects of youth civic participation on community change. This important research is connected to her background as a co-founder and co-director of Youth in Focus, a path-breaking non-profit organization that was dedicated to engaging marginalized youth populations in California’s Bay Area and Central Valley in participatory action research on pressing community issues.  She earned a Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Berkeley and B.A degrees in Education and South Asian Studies at Brown University.