I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Demography at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. Prior to arriving at Penn State, I obtained my Ph.D. in Sociology at Vanderbilt University, followed by postdoctoral training at Duke University’s Duke Aging Center. I also hold master’s degrees in Anthropology and Public Health.
Utilizing interdisciplinary perspectives (from sociology, anthropology, and public health), my research investigates heterogeneity in health and aging processes across the life course, especially among older adults. I have several areas of research, including but not limited to, aging and life course, medical sociology, sleep health, race/ethnicity, mental health, and the social determinants of health. Several theoretical frameworks guide my research including social integration, cumulative disadvantage, stress theory, the life course perspective, intersectionality, and role theory. I am developing three lines of inquiry: 1) the social determinants of sleep health; 2) the neighborhood environment, health, and aging; and 3) the effects of stress exposure on physical and mental health across the life course (young adults, midlife, later life).
In the first area of research, I examine how the social determinants of sleep contribute to sleep health disparities in the United States. While much is known about sleep from a biological perspective, my work aims to elucidate the sociological underpinnings of sleep. Specifically, I investigate how sleep is shaped by the social context of life. As such, research in this area focuses on social roles, family, work-related factors, and the neighborhood environment.
Building on the first line of research, my second area of inquiry examines how the neighborhood environment is a chronic stressor for older adults. My goal is to investigate how neighborhoods are key sites for examining the interrelationship among race, aging, and health because adults can experience an accumulation of risk exposures from living in residentially segregated and/or disadvantaged communities.
The last area of research examines how stress exposure differentially affects mental and physical health across the life course (e.g., young adulthood, midlife, and later life). Currently, I am working on two separate projects that examine how early life stress exposure affects sleep and cognition among older Black Americans. In addition, recognizing heterogeneity within this population, I also investigate intersectional differences with regards to gender, class, and education. These two projects are supported and funded by the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR) and the Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia across Diverse Populations (EdDem), respectively.
Building on the first line of research, my second area of inquiry examines how the neighborhood environment is a chronic stressor for older adults. My goal is to investigate how neighborhoods are key sites for examining the interrelationship among race, aging, and health because adults can experience an accumulation of risk exposures from living in residentially segregated and/or disadvantaged communities.
The last area of research examines how stress exposure differentially affects mental and physical health across the life course (e.g., young adulthood, midlife, and later life). Currently, I am working on two separate projects that examine how early life stress exposure affects sleep and cognition among older Black Americans. In addition, recognizing heterogeneity within this population, I also investigate intersectional differences with regards to gender, class, and education. These two projects are supported and funded by the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR) and the Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia across Diverse Populations (EdDem), respectively.
My work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Society and Mental Health, Sociological Focus, Journal of Aging and Health, and American Journal of Epidemiology to name a few.