I am currently a National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin. I earned my PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2019. In fall 2022, I will start as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin.
My research and teaching interests include medical sociology, social psychology, death and dying, health inequalities, and qualitative methods. Over the next several years my research agenda will comprise two projects that focus on health inequalities, race and ethnicity, and healthcare access.
The first project is a collaborative work that is in its second year. The "Postpartum Access to Healthcare (PATH) Project" investigates the barriers to healthcare access for pregnant and postpartum women in Central Texas. This project describes the healthcare system from the perspectives of uninsured and underserved pregnant women of color.
The second project, “Hablando de Muerte: Talking About Death and Healthcare Access with Latinos,” uses a multi-method qualitative approach to explore the ways low-income Spanish-speaking Latino patients access and experience terminal cancer care. This research also analyzes how participants draw on resources (social and economic) to navigate the healthcare system and discuss end-of-life plans with family members. This project is supported by a National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.