Professional Bio

I am a demographer and sociologist whose expertise lies in the study of aging, health, and mortality. My major areas of research examine: (1) why American life expectancy lags far behind other high-income countries, (2) factors contributing to widening inequalities in mortality across social groups within the United States, and (3) the causes and consequences of the contemporary American drug overdose epidemic. My work highlights the key role health behaviors and other socially patterned factors play in shaping American mortality. Some of my current projects focus on identifying how factors related to American culture, social institutions, and the organization of everyday life may explain why the United States has the lowest life expectancy of any high-income country and the consequences of the drug overdose epidemic for older adults, families, and intergenerational relationships.