Dr. Phaedra Corso is Associate Vice President for Research (AVPR) at Indiana University (IU) and Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) at Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indy). She is also a Professor of Health Policy in the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indy.
As AVPR, Corso has played a major role in key university-wide initiatives, such as the development and implementation of the IU LAB (Launch Accelerator for Biosciences). The IU LAB, supported by a $138 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, is an innovative facility featuring biomedical engineering academics and life and biosciences research scheduled to open in Indianapolis in 2027. Additionally, Corso has launched 2 university-wide research institutes in Indianapolis, including the Convergent Biosciences and Technology Institute (CBATI) and the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing (H2W), both of which will be housed in a new 50SQFT interdisciplinary research building she has designed, set to open in Fall 2026. As VCR, Corso has developed and implemented a first-of-its-kind experiential learning research opportunity for first-year students at IU Indy; and along with the Provost, she oversees the IU Indy Graduate School.
Before joining IU, Corso served as vice president for research at Kennesaw State University from 2018 to 2023. Under her leadership, she created and managed a robust research infrastructure that resulted in a doubling of external grant funding. Corso previously held academic and leadership positions at the University of Georgia, where she served as the first founding head of the Department of Health Policy and Management and Associate Director for the university-wide Owens Institute for Behavioral Research.
Prior to her academic career, Corso spent 15 years conducting health economics research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developing a primer on how to conduct economic evaluation for public health interventions. During her time at the CDC, she held a variety of positions, including senior health economist for the Guide to Community Preventive Services and senior health economist for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. An accomplished scholar, Corso has demonstrated prolific scholarly output and significant success in securing external funding, coupled with notable international recognition. Her scholarly works include 4 books, 17 chapters in books, and 94 refereed journal articles and abstracts. Corso has secured significant funding from federal agencies like NIH and CDC, and major foundations, often serving as Principal Investigator (PI) or a major Co-Investigator. She has substantial international experience, including recognition through prestigious appointments, consulting roles, and invited presentations, such as being awarded a US Fulbright Scholar position in Quito, Ecuador, in 2015; and serving as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Health Organization on assessing injury and violence costs.
Corso holds a BA and MPA in Political Science and Public Finance from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in Health Policy, with a concentration in Decision in Decision Sciences, from Harvard University.
