Kentucky 45th in the
Nation for Healthcare

Source The Commonwealth Fund

Elissa Schuler Adair PhD - Resume

Elissa Schuler Adair, PhD joined Consumers Union in 2008 as manager of health care research for Consumer Reports magazine. In that capacity, she has overseen a dozen surveys on health care topics that range from topics such as back pain, allergies and diabetes to hearing aids, sunscreen and laser vision correction. Elissa grew up in White Plains, NY which is once again where she lives with her husband David, their two daughters Susanna and Cassia, and two dogs Rockwell and Snickers.

Dr. Adair graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1988. She received her PhD from Imperial College, University of London, England in 1994. The fieldwork for her dissertation was conducted in Santos, Brazil on the topic of survey measurement of sexual behavior in relation to the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. She continued her interest in survey measurement as a methodologist for the Research Triangle Institute in their Washington D.C. office. She worked on federally-funded research projects on topics such as infant mortality and drug abuse and the ethics of research participation.

From 1998-2001 she served on the faculty of LSUHSC, New Orleans in a joint appointment at the cancer center and in the department of public health. She then returned to New York where she served on the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Adair has also been self-employed as a researcher, management consultant and grant writer for various employers: health care provider organizations in Winston-Salem and Durham, NC; a bio-tech in California and a non-profit serving the South Bronx. Immediately prior to joining Consumers Union, Dr. Adair served as Manager of External Program Grants at the National Office of the March of Dimes Foundation.

Elissa has just completed her term as a member of the board of trustees of the Community Unitarian Church of White Plains and is a founding member of the Westchester Coalition on Global Poverty and AIDS.