I am a sociologist currently working at Talladega College, a private HBCU in Talladega, Alabama. I am currently teaching a service-learning course dealing with rural poverty and food insecurity. Students partner with a local food distribution program to improve their outcomes through research. I am also teaching the sociology of family and introduction to sociology. In the past, I have developed and taught courses in social statistics and social science research methods. I have also developed courses in social epidemiology and health disparities which I am prepared to teach.
My research focuses primarily on health and illness, with a specific focus on social stress and mental health. My current research interests include social stress related to severe mental illness, as well as the intersections of racism, poverty, and mental health.
In 2023, I authored a chapter on the cultural history of poverty in the modern era for Bloomsbury’s Cultural History series. My chapter outlined the interplay among racist ideologies and discourses, racist social and economic policy, and outcomes of poverty for people of color.
A 2022 article based on my dissertation research dealt with the exchange of social support within intimate partner dyads as a predictor of depressive and anxiety symptoms. I found that intimate partner dyads in which both partners perceived more support had a stronger relationship between support and mental health. In other words, the relationship between your level of perceived support and your mental health is stronger if your partner also perceives higher levels of support.
Additionally, I co-authored an article on the relationship between time-clustering of stressful life events on substance use among young adults. We found that adults who experience multiple stressful life events within a short time period are significantly more likely to exhibit substance use behavior.
My long-term agenda includes active engagement in both teaching and research. As a doctoral student at Georgia State University, I served as the Teaching Associate for the Department of Sociology. In this role, I had the opportunity to study pedagogy and best teaching practices in greater depth. I also served as a peer mentor for other graduate student instructors. I am passionate about teaching and continue to seek opportunities to improve as a teacher.