A political scientist, Dr. Gardner has designed, directed and served as an advisor on national, state and local research studies and evaluations focusing on expanding access to care, insurance coverage expansions, the adoption of health information technology, and expanded advocacy capacity. She was the Director of an 8-year evaluation of The California Endowment's Clinic Consortia Policy and Advocacy Program that paved the way for advocacy and policy change evaluation more broadly. She is the Director of the Institute’s evaluation community of practice. She and Claire Brindis, DrPH recently co-authored the book, Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation: Theory and Practice (Stanford University Press).