I am a population health scientist. In broad strokes, this means I research the interplay between human societies, health, and aging. Most of my work focuses specifically on explaining why some groups of people live shorter and sicker lives than others. I also investigate how people cope with chronic social stress.
I am currently an assistant research scientist at the Survey Research Center and Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Before this, I was an NIA-funded postdoctoral scholar at the Duke University School of Medicine.
When I'm not working, I'm cooking and writing music with my partner, Allison, and taking walks with our rescue mutt, Stewart. In past lives, I toured in punk bands, worked as a line cook in commercial kitchens, and studied philosophy. My favorite quote is from Montaigne, who once noted that "even on the highest throne in the world, we are still sitting on our ass."