Meet Lizzy

Hi, I'm Lizzy Rasmussen, a translational science researcher and educator. I completed my Master's graduate research at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center where I developed a screening tool to assess adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in an adult primary care clinic to identify patients at high risk for poor health outcomes related to stress and trauma, and connect them with resources to help mitigate these risks. It was during this time that I became fascinated by the wide-reaching mental and physical effects of adversity throughout the lifespan. Perhaps most eye-opening, was the lack of awareness of the impacts of stress and trauma throughout life and the scarcity of resources for both children and adults facing or who have faced extreme adversity, trauma, and/or chronic stress. 

After completing this round of graduate school, I worked in the healthcare research and quality improvement industry. Around the same time, I became a faculty member at Arizona State University College of Health Solutions. I have always had a passion for engaging with and sharing information, but as I began to teach at the university, I fell in love with teaching. To this day, leaving the classroom after giving a talk and interacting with so many bright students is one of my very favorite feelings. I am also a member of a novel Patient Work Translational Research Team at the university, focused on analyzing and improving the burden associated with being a patient or caregiver. 

In 2020 I decided to get my PhD in Clinical Translational Science. My doctoral research at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, examines the relationship between ACEs, intergenerational trauma, and cardiometabolic health outcomes  in adulthood and looks at the role of sleep in these relationships. I've authored and co-authored scientific papers and textbook chapters related to sleep, social connection, ACEs, stress and mental health, and cardiometabolic health, and I've presented research at professional organizations, medical centers, and the national SLEEP Conference. 

The common thread throughout my research and professional experiences was that I loved investigating questions and I loved sharing what I learned. It was this commonality that led me to creating Liz Talks Science: a platform to talk to and empower the public to improve their health through understanding and applying the science.