Diabetes Toolkit: How to find the right resources for you 

Ellen Beckjord, PhD, MPH, is a behavioral scientist, epidemiologist, and licensed clinical psychologist. She is Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Program Optimization at UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where her work focuses on promoting health, wellness, and health behavior change.

Ellen trained at the University of Vermont, where she worked with cancer survivors and their families, at Vanderbilt University, and at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed post-doctoral research at the National Cancer Institute in the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. She spent nearly five years in academic medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and Hillman Cancer Center.

Ellen also is the co-author of Porchtraits, in which she interviewed people in Pittsburgh during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic about what they were learning, missing, enjoying, what surprised them, and what they felt hopeful about. A long-time member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Ellen currently serves on the Board of Directors as Past-President.

Ellen’s guiding principle: “Lead with love.”