I am a PhD Candidate in Sociology at Indiana University (IU) and a graduate fellow in the Irsay Institute for Sociomedical Sciences Research. My research focuses on the intersection of the sociology of health and illness, social psychology, and social networks. I am particularly interested in how social networks and social statuses such as race and gender shape public perceptions and personal experiences of health and illness, with a particular interest in chronic illness and chronic pain.
My dissertation, supported by an American Sociological Association Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, uses mixed methods to explore the role of social networks and patient communities in the process by which migraine – a common albeit misunderstood chronic illness – impacts individuals’ identities and psychological wellbeing.
My research appears in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Psychology Quarterly, Headache, the Journal of Marriage and Family, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, among others.
In addition to my purely scholarly pursuits, I have done consultant work for the Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP), a nonprofit advocacy organization, as a part of their Survey & Scientific Research team. I also continue to engage in research that investigates and/ or involves patient communities.
For more information about my specific areas of research, visit my Research page or take a look at my CV.
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