Lauren Heidbrink

Lauren Heidbrink, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development at California State University, Long Beach.

Dr. Heidbrink is a cultural anthropologist who focuses on global childhood studies and migration in Central America. Her research and teaching interests include childhood and youth, transnational migration, and Central America. Her manuscript, “Migrant Youth, Transnational Families, and the State: Care and Contested Interests,” examines the experiences of migrant children in U.S. federal facilities for unaccompanied children and following release. Her second book, “Migranthood: Youth in a New Era of Deportation” traces the experiences of young people following deportation to Central America.

She received the Fulbright's 70th Anniversary Scholar Award to conduct comparative research on child migration in Greece, Italy, Belgium, and UK.

Professor Heidbrink holds a doctorate in anthropology from John Hopkins University, two master’s degrees from DePaul University in international studies and public service management, and a bachelor’s degree in city planning, Latin American studies and Spanish literature from the University of Virginia.