I believe deeply that good health and high quality healthcare are things everyone deserves, not privileges determined by income, race, or circumstance. My research examines the everyday conditions outside of hospitals that shape our well-being, and how marginalized communities bear a disproportionate burden when those conditions are unjust.
Equity & Health
Projects
My research in this area spans the social determinants of health, opioid policy, and chronic pain, drawing on interviews with patients, clinicians, and people who use drugs to understand how structural conditions shape health from the inside out. Published in Health Sociology Review and the Journal of Substance Use, these findings have been presented to law enforcement agencies and non-profits, reflecting a commitment to getting research into the hands of the people and organizations who can act on it.
Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to the fentanyl-adulterated drug supply among people who use drugs in Oregon
“As fentanyl prevalence increases in the Pacific Northwest, public health organizations, state and county officials, and advocates must work to shift perceptions among people who use drugs about the prevalence of fentanyl in methamphetamine and other illicit substances.”
Quoted in the Journal of Substance Use, 2022
‘Just because I’m smiling doesn’t mean I’m not in pain’: Navigating the layered stigma of chronic pain and suicidality
“Findings suggest a need for attunement to stigmatizing processes’ omnipresence and the depth of their consequences. Clinical interventions may benefit from emphasizing participants’ social worlds and incorporating the complexity of navigating social arenas given layered stigmatization.”
Quoted in Health Sociology Review, 2025
“Having a Normal Life” A Qualitative Study on Client Goal-Setting Within a Social Needs Navigation Program
“Finally, trust in the provider and the health care systems’ ability to solve problems is essential for successful patient navigation”.
Quoted in the Journal of Ambulatory Care, 2020