Sarah Brothers
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Public Policy
316 Oswald TowerUniversity Park , PA 16802
Office Hours:
- By appointment.
Education:
- Ph.D., Sociology, Yale University
- M.A., Sociology, Yale University
- B.A., Sociology, High Honors, Highest Distinction, University of California, Berkeley
- A.S., Social and Behavioral Science, Highest Honors; A.A., Arts and Humanities, Highest Honors; A.A., English, Highest Honors, City College of San Francisco
Biography:
Sarah Brothers’ research examines how vulnerable groups experience and respond to health-related issues. Her work uses surveys, in-depth interviews, ethnographic observations, and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to focus on topics including methadone treatment during COVID-19, issues facing youth experiencing homelessness, and patient perspectives on HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) treatment. Her dissertation research, which received multiple awards including the Simmons’ Award for Outstanding Dissertation in Medical Sociology from the American Sociological Association, examines the construction, performance, and assessment of “uncredentialed expertise” in assisted injection, a high-risk and common practice in which one person injects another with illicit drugs. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship, the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in Women’s Studies, and others.
She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Yale University and a B.A in sociology from the University of California Berkeley. Her research has been published in journals including Social Science & Medicine, Aids and Behavior, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and the International Journal of Drug Policy.
HEALTH AND LIFE COURSE
Illicit substance use, qualitative methods, HIV and HCV, injection drug use practices, medication-based treatment, overdose
Research Interests:
Medical Sociology, Expertise, Substance Use, Gender, Inequality and Marginality, Qualitative Methods, EthnographyResearch Interests:
- Urban, Community and Spatial Sociology:
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Inequality and marginality, ethnography
- Social Inequality:
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Gender, housing, homelessness, knowledge, expertise
- Health and Life Course:
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Illicit substance use, qualitative methods, HIV and HCV, injection drug use practices, medication-based treatment, overdose