I am a medical sociologist with expertise in health disparities and vaccination.

I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Merced. Trained in medical sociology and public health, I study how social factors such as income, education, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation influence health behaviors and health outcomes. 

My current funded research projects include: an examination of the social determinants of vaccination among California's agricultural workers, an empirical test of stigma as a fundamental cause of disease for sexual and gender minority populations, and a population-based study of socioeconomic status and childhood vaccination in Denmark.

My research is published in leading medical sociology and health journals, including AIDS and Behavior, Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Health and Social Behavior,  LGBT Health, Preventive Medicine, Social Science & Medicine, SSM-Population Health, Transgender Health, and Vaccine.

Beyond academia, I actively engage with the media, community stakeholders, and the public on health-related topics such as health disparities and vaccine uptake.

I hold a PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and MPH in Health Promotion from the University of Toronto. I also completed a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.