About
I’m an Associate Professor at Rutgers University and the Director of Research with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. I’m also the current Treasurer for the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harm.
I earned my PhD in Sociology at Emory University in 2018, specializing in criminology and the sociology of health and illness. I work to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to my research and teaching across criminology, sociology, public health, and public policy. My first book, The Toll It Takes: Gun Violence and America’s Hidden Public Health Crisis, will be released with Princeton University Press in February 2027.
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 150 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.
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.