31- Insights from a Career of Asking Good Questions with Kristen Miller

In this week’s episode of Her Leading Story, Julie interviews fellow sociologist Dr. Kristen Miller.  Kristen served as the Director of the Center for Question Design and Evaluation Research at the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the CDC. Her career focuses on the design of survey questions and the integration of qualitative research methods into health data collection—innovations that significantly impact how health data is understood and used in the United States.

Kristen also shares various challenges she’s faced throughout her career - from advocating for qualitative and feminist-informed methodologies to colleagues that were sometimes not receptive, to developing inclusive survey practices that led to the introduction of non-binary gender designations on U.S. passports. She’s recently moved to a senior scientist role, and is currently working on her memoir in which she reflects on the interplay between her professional and personal experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• Qualitative Research in Health Statistics: Kristen explains how qualitative methods show researchers how respondents interpret survey questions - oftentimes differently -  challenging the assumption that quantitative survey data is objective and definitive.
• A Legacy of Innovation: Despite facing professional and political challenges, Kristen’s 20+ year career has changed the way health data is collected by the federal government, making it more accurate and inclusive. 
• Inclusive Health Survey Design: Kristen’s work led to innovations like the inclusion of non-binary gender options on passports, a milestone for inclusivity in federal questionnaires and surveys.

KRISTEN MILLER’S BIO

Kristen Miller, Ph.D., recently stepped down from her position as Director of the Collaborating Center for Question Design and Evaluation Research at the National Center for Health Statistics, which she led for almost two decades.  In her new role as Senior Methodologist, she continues her research which focuses on question comparability and measurement equity, including question design and equivalence for lower SES respondents and the improvement of methodology for cross-cultural and cross-national evaluation studies.  

In her career, she has collaborated with numerous international organizations such as the UN Statistical Commission, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization, to develop internationally comparable disability measures for adults and children.  Most recently she worked to develop measures for collecting gender as a non-binary construct for Federal surveys and, in coordination with the US State Department, developed language for the X marker on US passports.  She is a co-editor of two survey methodology books: Cognitive Interviewing Methodology (2014) and Question Evaluation Methods (2011).  

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Production Credits: Produced by Awkward Sage Media