Tamara Altman

Tamara Altman, PhD

Experience

Dr. Altman has over 25 years of experience in social science, public health, and market research, statistics, evaluation, and reporting. She has held positions with, and consulted for, many government, academic, nonprofit, and corporate organizations, including The Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Park Foundation, Stanford University, UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. A few of Dr. Altman’s experiences are noted below:

Research Analyst – Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: In this position, Dr. Altman consulted on survey instrument development, coordinated data collection methodologies, and implemented research best practices for the Los Angeles County Health Survey (LACHS). The LACHS is a population-based telephone survey that collects data on the health issues and healthcare system utilization behaviors of LA County residents. The data are used for assessing health-related needs of the population, for program planning and policy development, and for program evaluation.

Director of Research, Evaluation, and Training – Alere Wellbeing (healthcare company): Dr. Altman was responsible for the design and implementation of evaluation plans, methodologies, quality assurance processes, analyses, and reports focused on outcomes of health behavior change programs. As part of this work, she developed plans for evaluating program utilization, outcomes, and participant satisfaction with Alere Wellbeing behavior change programs and consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on methodologies, data collection, evaluation plans, and data preparation for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects.

Research Consultant – The Pew Charitable Trusts: For this project, Dr. Altman identified, reviewed, and analyzed research articles and findings presented as part of Pew’s technical assistance to states considering juvenile justice reform. Dr. Altman summarized and evaluated each source based on its research methodology, rigor, and relevance to Pew’s technical assistance efforts. The final deliverable consisted of a consolidated research compendium that includes summaries, key findings, and analyses of articles related to five critical topics within juvenile justice reform. This work has been used to fine-tune Pew’s language and guidance regarding the latest juvenile justice research in support of effective policy reforms and new directions in the field.

Education

Dr. Altman holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from UCLA, and a BA (with highest honors) in Psychology from UC Berkeley. She completed her predoctoral internship at the world-renowned UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (currently known as the Stewart & Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior). Dr. Altman has contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed publications and presentations.