Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Dr. Pilkauskas’ research broadly focuses on the health, development and wellbeing of low-income families and children. She is particularly interested in the role that private support networks play in helping families make ends meet. Much of her research focuses on the role that grandparents play in the lives of their grandchildren. She also examines the effects of economic wellbeing (material hardship, unemployment, poverty) and public policy on families and children. Dr. Pilkauskas received a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University and a PhD in Social Welfare Policy from Columbia University. She also worked for several years as a policy analyst studying various social policy programs and as a political pollster.