Jerusalem, July 15, 2024—The Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Israel’s foremost center for applied social research and consulting, announced today that Professor Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Ph.D. has been named as the Institute’s new director. Grinstein-Weiss, a top social researcher and academic, will begin this role on August 1.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michal Grinstein-Weiss to the MJB team! We’re confident that she, together with MJB’s talented researchers, will successfully continue their critically important work and bring it to new heights in the post-October 7th reality. As social needs are skyrocketing and Israel’s vulnerable – including additional millions who did not need social support before the war – are desperate for support, our work in Israel will set them on a course for a brighter future,” said JDC President Annie Sandler.
Grinstein-Weiss is currently the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also served as the Associate Dean for Policy Initiatives, the director of the university’s Social Policy Institute, and the founding director of the Envolve Center for Health Transformation. She is also a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Grinstein Weiss’ work is focused on improving health and socio-economic mobility for vulnerable populations, particularly those in low-income households. During her career she has been awarded $50+ million in research funding and more than 100 research grants as principal investigator alone.
“I feel grateful and honored that the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute Board has given me this opportunity and am very excited about working with the excellent MJB team to create a positive impact on the population of Israel through applied research, policy, and an abiding commitment to changing lives for the better,” said Professor Grinstein-Weiss.
Grinstein-Weiss has led research projects for leading corporations and philanthropic and government partners, including Fortune 500 companies, major foundations like the Gates and McArthur Foundations, and the Israeli, American, and Canadian governments. She also played a key role in the creation of Israel’s creation of a national child savings account program, a pioneering initiative when it was conceived.
About the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute
Founded in 1974, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute is Israel’s leading center for applied social research. The Institute identifies and examines key social challenges. We use our knowledge and research to help inform policy, advise programming, and improve services for individuals, families, and communities. We work to strengthen Israeli society and the wellbeing of all its members.
MJB is an independent, non-profit partnership between the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Government of Israel, and the David and Inez Myers Foundation of Cleveland. For more information, visit https://brookdale.jdc.org.il/en/