Expertise

In my research, I inquire about the structural forces that contribute to social inequalities in health. Why is the association between socioeconomic status, gender, race/ethnicity, and health so enduring? How do social inequalities in health emerge and persist across generations? Answering these questions contributes to our understanding of the basic social processes that create and reproduce unequal health outcomes across different sociodemographic groups. To date, I have primarily focused on (1) examining the persistent association between sociodemographic factors and health and (2) isolating key points when sociodemographic differences or inequalities begin (i.e., emerge) or are reproduced over time.

Research Interests:

  • sociology of health and illness; social demography; life course; stratification

Interests:

  • sociology
  • health demography
  • health inequalities
  • health disparities
Communities
Sociology
Degrees
PhD, University of Minnesota, Sociology, 2011
MPH, University of Minnesota, 2004
BA, University of Notre Dame, Madical Anthropology, 2002