On October 14th, Liz Saathoff started as the Office of Undergraduate Research's Associate Director! We are excited to welcome her, and we know she will be an asset to our mission of promoting undergraduate research by providing resources to mentors and students. 

Liz grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa as an undergraduate and graduate student. She received her bachelor's degree in Public Health, with a certificate in writing, then earned her Master's in Public Health with a focus on Community and Behavioral Health. 

After volunteering in the burn unit and neurological departments at the UI Hospital, Liz found that she had a passion for interacting and helping people through research. As an undergraduate, she used her course work and taught herself the needed statistical coding software to analyze data from surveys to determine the Demographical and Psychological Associations with Public Perceptions of Novel Vaccines. This was done around 6 months before the Covid-19 epidemic started! 

As a graduate student, Liz used her skills and experiences to optimize pool safety in Iowa. Since then, she has been the Program Coordinator for the National American Indian and Alaska Native Childhood Trauma TSA Center to develop and disseminate resources on childhood trauma. She was also a Certified Health Education Specialist for the Youth Mental Health First Aid for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples. Liz is also a published researcher! Check out her work in Gender differences in lifetime and current use of online support for recovery from alcohol use disorder.

And now, she is the Associate Director for the Office of Undergraduate Research! We are very lucky to have someone so experienced in University of Iowa research and its applications. 

Outside of research, Liz loves to cook! Ask her about her recipes or how she is taking up canning and gardening to support her love for cooking. She also likes to read, swim, and has recently taken up cross-stitching.

The Office of Undergraduate Research welcomes Liz Saathoff to our team!