Elizabeth Brainerd is the Susan and Barton Winokur Professor of Economics and Women’s and Gender Studies at Brandeis University. Her research focuses on labor and health economics, with particular interest in understanding the social and health consequences of the transition to capitalism in formerly socialist countries. She received her B.A. in Economics and Russian from Bowdoin College and her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. Prior to her appointment at Brandeis, Brainerd was a Professor of Economics at Williams College.