Eli Turkel

Eli Turkel

Degree: 2020, PHDUAPP, MPA

Job Title: Senior Research Associate, ChristianaCare, Department of Community Health

Eli is currently employed as a Senior Research Associate at ChristianaCare’s Office of Community Health where he develops, evaluates, and produces analytics for the department’s programs. Specifically, he works on programs related to social drivers of health, substance use disorder and material health. He works with program managers and community health workers to develop program activities, construct logic models, design and implement data collection instruments, report on monthly progress, and conduct statistical evaluation.

While studying at the Biden School, Eli developed valuable time management, writing, and data science skills that made him a competitive job market candidate for the public policy profession. Before his time at the Biden School, he worked in Delaware state government in various roles that showed the value of individuals who are able to understand, interpret, and share data that could make a difference in government and politics. 

During Eli’s time at the Biden School he was provided with necessary coursework and research assistantships that enhanced his overall skillset. In the Ph.D. program at the Biden School, all students must complete a dissertation to graduate. While working with Dr. John McNutt, Eli developed excellent writing skills to convey complex processes in a concise manner. In addition, his research assistantship with the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) provided him with real-world experience working in a consulting capacity for state and local government. Having a research assistantship required that he learned how to balance his course and assistantship work, which also helped him learn how to effectively complete assignments within tight deadlines. Finally, working with Troy Mix and Dr. McNutt allowed Eli to learn practical data science skills, ensuring that he developed into a competitive job candidate. More importantly, gaining these new skills allowed him to pursue work roles that he now loves and finds valuable.​​