Evan Spencer

Evan Spencer serves as a research project manager in the Center for Health Justice where she co-leads the IGNITE project centered on improving health outcomes, expanding access to and education about resources, and beautifying neighborhoods in underserved communities in Philadelphia.  

Prior to joining the Center for Health Justice, Evan worked in the BeSAFIR Lab and the Nudge Unit overseeing research to reduce opioid misuse and drinking and driving injuries. Before coming to Penn full time, Evan worked as a therapeutic counselor at the Renfrew Center, a facility catering to women with eating disorders. In the past, she worked in counseling and behavioral health at the Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment, where she conducted recreational and facilitated group therapy sessions with an array of people getting treatment for varying behavioral health disorders.  

Evan earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drexel University and her master’s degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Evan’s research interests include the correlation of home environment and the development of delinquency, the racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, and the intersection of traumatic experiences in childhood and the development of psychopathy. She also is interested in behavioral analysis and criminal pathology; for this reason, she enjoys all crime-related television series and movies such as Criminal Minds and Silence of the Lambs. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in forensic psychology and work as a clinical psychologist.