Debra Brucker

Debra Brucker
Research Associate Professor
Research Associate Professor
Phone: (603) 862-4320
Office: Institute on Disability, 10 West Edge Drive, Durham, NH 03824
Website: Full profile: FindScholars@UNH
Curriculum Vitae
Debra L. Brucker, Research Assistant Professor
@DebraBrucker3

As a research assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, Dr. Debra Brucker uses national level survey data to measure the economic, health and social well-being of persons with disabilities. She has over 20 years of applied policy research experience and has held social and health policy research positions at academic institutions, research organizations, and state agencies. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, and Journal of Disability Policy Studies.

Projects

Career Self-Management through Job Crafting for People with Physical and Mild Cognitive Disabilities

Dr. Vidya Sundar, Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy, and Dr. Debra Brucker, Research Assistant Professor at the Institute on Disability, will partner with Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital Network, Marsh Brook Rehab and the UNH Office of Environmental Health and Safety to develop and test a new approach to assisting persons with disabilities to retain employment and seek opportunities for growth in the workplace.

Disability & Food Insecurity

While most people in the U.S. have adequate access to food, some persons experience food insecurity, lacking the money and resources to acquire the food necessary for active, healthy living. Little is known about how food security might influence economic and health outcomes for persons with disabilities. Led by Dr. Debra Brucker, The Disability and Food Insecurity project focuses on the intersection of access to food and disability status.

Disability Statistics and Demographics Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (StatsRRTC)

The mission of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) is to narrow and actively bridge the divide between the producers and end users of disability statistics, thereby supporting better data collection, more accurate information, better decision-making, more effective programs, and better lives for people with disabilities.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC) is (a) investigating the impact of federal and state policies and programs on employment, paying particular attention to the effects of program interactions, (b) examining new ways of measuring employment outcomes, and (c) facilitating the translation of research findings to guide policymaking and program administration.

Education

  • Ph.D., Resource Planning/Dev, Rutgers University
  • M.A., Public Administration, University of Delaware
  • B.A., Psychology, University of Delaware
  • B.A., Criminal Justice/Safety, University of Delaware

Selected Publications

Brucker, D. L., Jajtner, K., & Mitra, S. (2022). Does Social Security promote food security? Evidence for older households. APPLIED ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY, 44(2), 671-686. doi:10.1002/aepp.13218

Jajtner, K. M., Brucker, D. L., & Mitra, S. (2022). Midlife Work Limitations are Associated with Lower Odds of Survival and Healthy Aging. JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, 77(4), 790-802. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbab214

Brucker, D. L., Stott, G., & Phillips, K. G. (2022). Food sufficiency and the utilization of free food resources for working-age Americans with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.. Disabil Health J, 101297. doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2022.101297

Brucker, D. L., & Sundar, V. (2021). Job Crafting Among American Workers with Disabilities (vol 37, pg 575, 2020). JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION, 31(4), 729. doi:10.1007/s10926-021-09999-y

Reif, S., Lauer, E. A., Adams, R. S., Brucker, D. L., Ritter, G. A., & Mitra, M. (2021). Examining differences in prescription opioid use behaviors among US adults with and without disabilities. PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, 153. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106754

Brucker, D. L., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food Insecurity Across the Adult Life Span for Persons With Disabilities. JOURNAL OF DISABILITY POLICY STUDIES, 28(2), 109-118. doi:10.1177/1044207317710701

Sevak, P., Houtenville, A. J., Brucker, D. L., & O'Neill, J. (2015). Individual Characteristics and the Disability Employment Gap. JOURNAL OF DISABILITY POLICY STUDIES, 26(2), 80-88. doi:10.1177/1044207315585823

Brucker, D. L., & Houtenville, A. J. (2015). People With Disabilities in the United States. ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION, 96(5), 771-774. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2015.02.024

Brucker, D. L., Mitra, S., Chaitoo, N., & Mauro, J. (2015). More Likely to Be Poor Whatever the Measure: Working-Age Persons with Disabilities in the United States. SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY, 96(1), 273-296. doi:10.1111/ssqu.12098

Hagner, D., Kurtz, A., Cloutier, H., Arakelian, C., Brucker, D. L., & May, J. (2012). Outcomes of a Family-Centered Transition Process for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. FOCUS ON AUTISM AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, 27(1), 42-50. doi:10.1177/1088357611430841

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Most Cited Publications