Meet the Research Team
Lab Leadership
Dr. Raeda K. Anderson, PhD
Director and Founder of iCORD Lab
Dr. Anderson (she/her) is a social scientist whose research focuses on disability and the social determinants of health. As a Research Scientist and lead of the Analytics Team at Shepherd Center as well as an Affiliate Professor of Sociology at Georgia State University, she leads mixed methods studies examining how structural, economic, and community level factors shape the experiences and opportunities of Disabled people across diverse environments. Her work integrates largescale survey design, qualitative inquiry, and geospatial and contextual data from and about disabled people to analyze physical rehabilitation, rural health, and community inclusion. Dr. Anderson’s scholarship advances evidence-based approaches that promote equity, accessibility, and conditions that support Disabled people in thriving within their communities.
Dr. Daniel S. Pasciuti, PhD
Co-director of iCORD Lab
Daniel Pasciuti (he/him) is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Georgia State University (GSU), the co-editor of the Journal for World-Systems Research (JWSR), and Associate Graduate Director in the Sociology Department. Dr Pasciuti has published extensively on housing insecurity, urban governance, and global development. His research falls into several interrelated categories with the focal point being broadly conceived as a focus on transformations and challenges in the historical and contemporary processes of governance. Dr Pasciuti has helped develop methodologies that bridge academic inquiry and practical application, particularly through involvement in eviction prevention programs and housing policy reform. He regularly engages in community-based research projects centered on housing and eviction issues where he has collaborated on a variety of initiatives at the city, county, state, and national levels.
Research Faculty & Scientists
Dr. Patricia R. Lawrence, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
Senior Scientist, Disability and Health
Patricia R. Lawrence, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC/PC (she/her) is a faculty member at Georgia State University. Previously trained as a pediatric nurse practitioner, and later as leader and educator in the disability space through the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, Dr. Lawrence’s primary contributions are in developing clinical programs and conducting research in collaboration with other disciplines to improve the health of children with medical complexity. Over the course of her career, her overarching goal has been to address the challenges of underserved populations and their caregivers and to improve health equity through innovative local and national clinical and research programs that enhance child development, reduce hospitalizations and complications, and improve care access and quality.
Pat M. Barrett, MS
Pat M. Barrett, MS (they/them) is a Biostatistician for the Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center and the primary Statistician for the iCORD Lab. They are an interdisciplinary researcher and applied social scientist, with training and experience in sociology, demography, applied epidemiology, and gerontology. Pat conducts collaborative research on a variety of topics, with a focus on resources and outcomes for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities – including housing, healthcare access, and employment.
Senior Statistician
Dr. Ben Lennox Kail, PhD
Scientist, Health and Advanced Analytics
Dr. Ben Lennox Kail (he/him) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Affiliated Faculty in the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University. Serving as a Scientist in Health and Advanced Analytics for the iCORD Lab, Dr. Kail brings extensive expertise in population health, life course trajectories, and the social determinants of health. His research investigates how structural inequalities, social policy, and health insurance mechanisms moderate the disablement process, functional limitations, and long-term health outcomes across diverse populations. Within the iCORD Lab, Dr. Kail specializes in complex quantitative methodologies, leveraging large-scale national longitudinal datasets (including HRS, CPS, and NSHAP) to advance disability and health equity research. His methodological approach integrates advanced statistical modeling—such as longitudinal trajectories, latent growth curve modeling, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), and age-period-cohort analyses—to untangle the spatial, temporal, and socioeconomic dimensions of disability.
Current Students
Lauren B. Leeder, MA
Lauren Leeder (they/she) is a Ph.D. student in Sociology at Georgia State University and a research associate in the ICORD Lab. Their research focuses on social determinants of health, gender, and disability, combining critical theory with quantitative methods to analyze structural inequities. Their recent M.A. thesis investigated how state abortion laws, ideological infrastructures, and structural barriers shape access to medication abortion via telehealth in the post-Dobbs United States.
Research associate
Chloe M. Sellers, MA
Chloe M. Sellers (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University, a M.S. student in statistics, and leads an analytics LLC. Chloe has worked on research for academic, community, and healthcare stakeholders on a myriad of topics: prison death, disability, housing, social determinants of health, stroke rehabilitation, and clinician driven research. Skilled in Statistical Data Analysis, Quantitative Research, and Statistical coding (STATA, SPSS, and DAX). Before returning to GSU for her PhD, Chloe was a statistician for Shepherd Center where she co-lead major clinical research to answer questions and serve as a bridge for clinical, academic, and scientific communities.
Research Associate
Jingyun (Iris) Pi
Jingyun (Iris) Pi, M.A., M.S.W., B.S. (she/her) is a Joint M.A. and Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University and a research assistant at the Interdisciplinary Community Research on Disability Lab (iCORD Lab). Iris comes from a very interdisciplinary and international academic background. She previously studied Gender Studies and Law in the UK, International Gender Studies in Iceland, and Social Work and Economics in mainland China. She previously served as a research assistant for three years at Nanjing University and actively engaged in various research topics, including family planning policy and substance abuse. Iris commits to engaged sociological work in social determinants of health, gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights, social justice, and disability using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her M.A. thesis intends to explore single Chinese women’s access to social egg freezing under the reproductive justice framework.
Research Assistant
Former Students
Melissa A. Treanor, MA
Project Manager and Research Associate
Melissa A. Treanor (she/her) was an M.A. student in Applied Sociology at Georgia State University, a research assistant at the Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center, and a research associate in the Interdisciplinary Community Research on Disability Lab. Her research explores social determinants of health, with particular attention to disabled populations, examining how structural factors such as housing, access to community resources like parks and greenspaces, and health-related behaviors such as physical activity, shape mental and physical health outcomes. She is committed to advancing equity through socially engaged research that informs public policy and supports community-based interventions designed to promote inclusion and well-being.
Melissa graduated with her M.A. in Sociology in May of 2026 and now is a research coordinator at Georgia State University in the School of Public Health.
Madelief L. Tilder, MA
Madelief L. Tilder (she/her) was as a Dual BA/MA student in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University, a research associate at the Interdisciplinary Community Research on Disability Lab, a research assistant at the Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center, researcher at Project Healthy Grandparents, and worked on Mellon Foundation funded research on healthcare and disability access for immigrants and refugees in Atlanta, Georgia. Her research examines how social disparities and systemic inequalities, particularly those related to disability status, housing, socioeconomic status, and other social determinants of health, shape individuals' lived experiences and affect their quality of life and ability to thrive within their communities. Committed to applied, community-engaged research, Madelief uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to support advocacy efforts and inform policy changes that address structural barriers and improve access to opportunity.
Madelief graduated with her M.A. in Sociology in May of 2026.
Research associate