
Dr Erna is a lecturer in social work in the Social Welfare Department, Universitas Indonesia (UI). She earned her bachelor’s degree before using a Fulbright grant to study for a master’s in social work at the University of Chicago. She went on to do a PhD at the same university.
Her proposed research is on “Comparative Critical Perspectives on the Assessment and Implementation of Evidence-based Policy and Practice in Child Protection System” at the University of California, Berkeley, which will open her up to large state-wide databases of research in social work.
She believes that to build an adequate child protection system in Indonesia, gathering comparative evidence to guide policy is essential. In addition, she will be plugged into a network of research scholars at UC Berkeley, who have been working with various stakeholders at the state, national and international levels to improve systems that protect and enhance the well-being of children.