Professional Bio

I am a doctoral candidate in sociology and demography studying the intersections of religion, family, and health. My research examines how religious changes, especially rising rates of religious disaffiliation, influence health and family relationships across diverse social contexts. My current work uses quantitative and qualitative methods to study:

• The longitudinal and cross-national links between religious disaffiliation and health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, suicidality, and self-rated health.

• The processes and relational implications of rising rates of interfaith marriage in recent decades.
• How religious transitions (e.g., conversion, switching religions, and disaffiliation) relate to changes in relationship quality and fertility intentions

I am also Co-Principal Investigator of the RESTARTS project (Relational Experiences, Spiritual Transformations, Attachments, Religious Transitions, Sanctifications), a national, mixed-methods study with participants across the United States, examining these questions. My research has been published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Family Relations, and Journal of Research on Adolescence, and has received awards from Penn State and the National Council on Family Relations.