Professor, Sociology

220 McNeil Building 3718 Locust Walk

Phone

215-573-7514

Education

 

Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
M.A., Sociology, Indiana University
B.A., University of Dayton

Research Interests

Why are social conditions related to health? We've known for many years that social conditions--including education, income, and race/ethnicity--are related to health. It's not always clear, however, why these relationships exist or persist. I'm interested in understanding why social factors are related to health, and focus, in particular, on psychosocial factors, which includes things like stress, personality, and assorted beliefs and perceptions. I'm also interested in how social and genetic factors work in tandem to produce good or bad health. In all my work, I'm interested in both mental and physical health, as I think both are important for understanding the health of a population. Consistent with this, I've explored mortality, disease, and disability, but also anxiety, depressive symptoms, and happiness.

Faculty Bookshelf