Petra Persson is an Associate Professor of Economics at Stanford University, where she is the Nina C. Crocker Faculty Scholar in the School of Humanities and Sciences and holds a courtesy appointment in Health Policy. Her research sits at the intersection of family economics, health economics, and public policy, using large-scale administrative data and quasi-experimental methods to understand how public policies, social safety nets, and new technologies shape maternal and child health, family dynamics, and long-term well-being. She is a Faculty Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
As a 2021-2022 SIL Design Fellow, she led a research project focused on reducing depression and anxiety among women and girls that explored how technological solutions could promote mental health equity. In the U.S., one in five teen girls and one in eight new moms will suffer from depression and anxiety, putting them at a higher risk of drug abuse, isolation, and even suicide. Contrary to most physical health conditions, the incidence of mental illness is rapidly increasing, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.