For as long as she can remember, Dr. Natalie D. Hengstebeck wanted to understand why some families are happy and healthy, and others are not. She witnessed firsthand the toll that toxic stressors like alcoholism, mental illness, and chronic relationship turmoil can have on children and families, and how these negative effects can be amplified by external circumstances, like economic recession. This point of reference and firsthand experience navigating early adversity informs her work on how social context shapes child and family well-being. As a first-generation university student, she intimately understands the significance of the knowledge-making process and believe in the potential for science to improve people’s lives. Her mission is to serve as an ambassador for science, bridging the divide between science and policy to advance social equity and the well-being of children and families.
Hengstebeck is a postdoctoral fellow for the North Carolina Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network. She is based at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. In this role, she enhances the use of research among North Carolina’s local, state, and federal lawmakers. When her fellowship ends in Summer 2019, she looks forward to continuing to strengthen ties between researchers and policymakers in a government, think tank, or university position.
Hengstebeck earned her PhD in human development and family studies and research methodology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she studied psychology; sociology; communications and media studies; and professional writing at DePaul University. In addition to working as a Fulbright research fellow in sociology and public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she has worked at the SAS Institute, RAND Corporation, and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families.
Hengstebeck is a postdoctoral fellow for the North Carolina Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network. She is based at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. In this role, she enhances the use of research among North Carolina’s local, state, and federal lawmakers. When her fellowship ends in Summer 2019, she looks forward to continuing to strengthen ties between researchers and policymakers in a government, think tank, or university position.
Hengstebeck earned her PhD in human development and family studies and research methodology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she studied psychology; sociology; communications and media studies; and professional writing at DePaul University. In addition to working as a Fulbright research fellow in sociology and public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she has worked at the SAS Institute, RAND Corporation, and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families.
