Padilla, Elena, 1923-

Elena Padilla (April 4, 1925 – 2012) was a Puerto Rican anthropologist. She conducted pioneering research on Puerto Rican migrations to the United States. Padilla attended the University of Puerto Rico, and after graduation was sent on scholarship to study at the University of Chicago. She wrote a master's thesis on Puerto Ricans in New York and Chicago that was published in 1947, and has been cited as a pioneering work. After writing her thesis, Padilla moved to New York City, earning a PhD at Columbia University and researching for the 1956 work The People of Puerto Rico. She later worked at the Cornell University Medical College, directing a study of the medical experiences of Puerto Ricans living in East Harlem that was published in 1958 as Up from Puerto Rico. Padilla later directed doctoral studies at New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and as of 2005 was a scholar in residence at St. Barnabas Hospital. Although her anthropological work has not been well recognized, in recent years it has gained increasing recognition as pioneering in the field of Puerto Rican studies.