Dr. Rucha Londhe (She/her), Senior Director Equity, is an experienced human development specialist, evaluator, researcher, and technical assistance provider with a demonstrated history of working in education and behavioral health industries. She has over 18 years of experience conducting equitable research and evaluation and leads the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adapting (MERLA) sub-capability within the equity capability at Abt Global. Skilled in qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups, Dr. Londhe has multiple experiences conducting community-based participatory research and evaluations with diverse populations including immigrants and Native American Tribes.
Previously, Dr. Londhe served as the Domestic Liaison for Abt Global’s Equity Center and helped proposal and project teams bring an equity perspective into their work. Dr. Londhe continues to advise evaluation project teams with a framework for including equity-based principles in data collection, analysis, and reporting, such as tailoring interview/focus group questions for woman-headed households, desegregating data based on gender or race, and analyzing and reporting data by population subgroup.
In addition to her Abt roles, Dr. Londhe currently is serving as a mentor for the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) Program launched by Anne E. Cassey’s Expanding the Bench (ETB) initiative.
Before joining Abt, Dr. Londhe worked with the Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) as a project director with the Research and Evaluation Team. At BTC, Dr. Londhe focused on the study of disparities in maternal and children’s health – especially on the Native American reservations across the country. She worked with four different Tribes over a span of five years – collecting evaluation data around health disparities using a community-based participatory research model and collaborated with program teams on designing equitable evaluation data collection and analysis strategies.
Previously, Dr. Londhe worked with the Goodman Research Group (GRG), where she led evaluations of programs predominantly focusing on the topic of girls and women in STEM education. This included programs like Girls Communicating Career Connections (GC3), which involved a series of short video segments produced by middle school aged girls. This series captured the inquiry-based learning experiences of girls as they investigated what it means to be a scientist or engineer.
Expertise
- Equitable program evaluation and research
- Qualitative research methodology
- Community based participatory research
- Resource development
- Fluent in English (Fluent), Marathi (Native), Hindi (Fluent), and German (Intermediate)
Publications
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2023). Practical Guide on Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP23-06-05-005. Rockville, MD: National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep23-06-05-005.pdf
- Londhe, R. & Hedberg, Eric (2022). Evaluation & Racial Equity: How do We Eliminate Bias from Evaluations Intended to Address Bias. Evaluations & Racial Equity: How Do We Eliminate Bias from Evaluations Intended to Address … Bias? | Abt Associates
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2021). Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP21-06-05-002 Rockville, MD: National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/SAMHSA_Digital_Download/PEP22-06-02-004.pdf
- Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2020). Strengthening Partnerships: A Framework for Prenatal through Young Adulthood Family Engagement in Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts: DESE. https://www.doe.mass.edu/sfs/family-engagement-framework.pdf
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2020). Treatment of Stimulant Use Disorders. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-06-01-001 Rockville, MD: National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Education
- Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut.