Welcome.

My name is Dr. Mircea Lazar (pronounced “Meer-cha”), and I am currently a Program Evaluator and Qualitative Researcher at the Tennessee Department of Health. I received my Ph.D. in August 2023 from the Michigan State University Department of Political Science.

As a program evaluator and mixed methods researcher, I have significant expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, project management, grant and report writing, survey design, interviews and focus groups, and data analysis. I enjoy distilling complex concepts into actionable insights and providing stakeholders with recommendations to improve program outcomes. In addition to my doctorate degree, I also hold a master’s degree in political science from Michigan State, as well as B.S. and B.A. degrees in economics and international relations, respectively, from The Ohio State University.

I was born in Romania, but mostly grew up in Northeast Ohio. I greatly enjoy athletic activities (CrossFit, yoga, swimming, running, hiking, rock climbing, Spartan Races, and others), international travel (particularly Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa), improv, and classic literature. I live in Okemos, Michigan with my fiancé Jeremiah and cats Beth and Rose.