About
I’m an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice and the Department of Urban-Global Public Health in the School of Public Health at Rutgers University. I’m also the Director of Research with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.
I earned my PhD in Sociology at Emory University in 2018, specializing in criminology and the sociology of health and illness under the direction of Dr. Robert Agnew. I aim to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to my research and teaching across criminology, sociology, public health, and public policy. I am currently completing a book for Princeton University Press tentatively titled, The Toll It Takes: How Gun Violence Shapes Health and Inequality in America.
Broadly speaking, my research examines (1) the causes and consequences of gun violence and (2) the connections between health, criminal justice exposure, and violent victimization. The study of health disparities and inequality are central across both areas of research. I have published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers in journals across fields including criminology and criminal justice, public health, sociology, and medicine. I am currently an editorial board member for Journal of Criminal Justice, Homicide Studies, and Criminology. I am also the Treasurer for the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms.
Beyond my academic work, I’ve engaged with public audiences across print, radio, and television. My work has been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, Scientific American, The Trace, The Guardian, Newsweek, US News & World Report, Prevention Magazine, PBS, NPR, CBS Face the Nation, Fox News, and ABC Action News.
In my free time, I enjoy playing and writing music with my solo project Born Soon, running, reading, playing tennis, traveling, rooting for the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with my wife, son, and two squishy pugs, Jordy and Goji.