Medical Social Sciences: Faculty Experts: For Journalists

Rinad Beidas

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Ralph Seal Paffenbarger Professor and Chair of Medical Social Sciences

Field: Medical Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, Public Health

Focus Areas: Behavioral Economics, Implementation Science

Michelle Anne Birkett

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing

Field: Medical Social Sciences

Focus Areas: Data Bias, Discrimination, Health Disparities, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ Health, Network Science

David Cella

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Ralph Seal Paffenbarger Professor

Field: Cancer and Oncology, Medical Social Sciences, Psychology

Focus Areas: Cancer Survivorship, Healthcare Policy, Health Disparities, Statistics and probability

Anna Chorniy

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences

Field: Economics, Medical Social Sciences, Public Health

Focus Areas: ADD and ADHD, Asthma, Healthcare Industry, Health Disparities, Health Insurance, Pharmaceutical Industry, Public Health Policy, Regulations

Joe Feinglass

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Research Professor of Medicine

Field: Emergency Medicine, Epidemiology, Medical Social Sciences, Preventive Medicine, Public Health

Focus Areas: Amputations, Arthritis, Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Health, Community Health, Depression and Anxiety, Diabetes, Healthcare Policy, Health Disparities, Health Insurance, Medical Quality of Life, Opioid Abuse, Postpartum Health, Public Health Policy, Vascular Disease

Sheehan D. Fisher

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at The Graduate School, Northwestern University

Field: Medical Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, Sociology

Focus Areas: Behavior Change, Child Psychology, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Gender Diversity and Equality, Men’s Health, Mental Health, Postpartum Health, Race and Ethnicity, Women's Health

Elizabeth Johnson

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences and Pediatrics

Field: Human Development, Medical Social Sciences, Neurology, Pediatrics, Psychology

Focus Areas: Memory, Network Science, Neuroscience

Dr. Kelly Michelson

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Julia and David Uihlein Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities

Field: Medical Ethics, Medical Social Sciences, Pediatrics, Public Health

Focus Areas: Clinical Research, Communication Skills, Decision Making, Patient Care, Pediatric Illness

Brian Mustanski

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Professor of Medical Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology

Field: Medical Social Sciences, Psychology, Public Health

Focus Areas: Addiction and Substance Abuse, Health Disparities, HIV/AIDS, Implementation Science, LGBTQ Health, Mental Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Elizabeth Norton

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, School of Communication

Jane Steiner Hoffman and Michael Hoffman Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Field: Communications Sciences and Disorders, Human Development, Linguistics, Medical Social Sciences, Neurology, Psychology

Focus Areas: Autism, Childhood Development, Childhood Education, Child Psychology, Communication Skills, Infant Health, Language Learning and Processing, Neuroscience

Timothy Pearman

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Professor, Medical Social Sciences and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Field: Integrative Medicine, Medical Social Sciences, Preventive Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology

Focus Areas: Behavior Change, Cancer Survivorship, Depression and Anxiety, Gynecologic Cancer, Lifestyle and Wellness, Lymphoma, Medical Quality of Life, Mental Health, Oncofertility, Pancreatic Cancer, Psychological Counseling

Gregory Phillips II

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences and Preventive Medicine

Field: Medical Social Sciences

Focus Areas: Addiction and Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Dr. Lisa J. Rosenthal

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education

Field: Medical Ethics, Medical Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Focus Areas: Employee wellness and burnout, Mental Health, Psychiatric Disorders, Violence Prevention

Dr. Melissa Simon

Center for Civic Engagement, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies

Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Field: Epidemiology, Medical Social Sciences, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Preventive Medicine, Public Health

Focus Areas: Birth Control and Contraception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Gender Diversity and Equality, Health Disparities, Lifestyle and Wellness, Public Health Policy, Reproductive Health, Sexual Education, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Women's Health

Madison Shea Smith

Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Research Assistant Professor

Field: Computational Social Science, Data Science, Medical Social Sciences, Psychology

Focus Areas: Addiction and Substance Abuse, Behavior Change, Clinical Research, Data Science, Discrimination, Domestic Violence, Eating Disorders, Family Dynamics, Gender Diversity and Equality, Gender Identity, Health Disparities, HIV/AIDS, Inequality, Intersectionality, LGBTQ Health, Mental Health, Personality and Identity Construction, Psychological Counseling, Relationships, Reproductive Health, Research Methods, Sexual Assault, Sexual Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Social Networks, Statistics and probability

Amelia Van Pelt

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences, Associate Director of Research of Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care

Field: Epidemiology, Global Health, Medical Social Sciences, Public Health

Focus Areas: HIV/AIDS, Implementation Science

Nicole Woitowich

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Research Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences

Field: Medical Social Sciences, Obstetrics/Gynecology

Focus Areas: Discrimination, Gender Diversity and Equality, STEM Education

Sera Young

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Associate Professor of Anthropology and Global Health

Field: Anthropology, Global Health, Human Biology, Human Development, Medical Social Sciences, Public Health

Focus Areas: Climate Change, Community Health, Eating Disorders, HIV/AIDS, Hunger, Food and Water Security, Infant Health, Nutrition, Pediatric Illness, Postpartum Health, Waterborne Disease, Water Quality and Purification