I am a medical, computational, and cultural sociologist. My research investigates mental health and illness through a cultural lens, namely (1) how the cultural context influences mental health experiences and decision-making and (2) how mental health operates as a cultural framework.
In my forthcoming book, Our Mental Health, Their Mental Illness (Princeton University Press), I document cultural change around mental health and illness by applying computational text analysis to the news media and social media.
I’m also passionate about equitable and inclusive teaching, particularly of quantitative methods and statistical software.
I currently hold the position of Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. I previously worked at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. I have a PhD in Sociology from Stanford University and BA in Sociology and Spanish from Wellesley College.
Contact me at ajo13 [at] iu [dot] edu
Recent Publications
*please contact me for access to paywalled papers
More than a Means: The Relationship between Gun Culture and Suicide
Society and Mental Health
Psychotic White Men and Bipolar Black Women? Racialized and Gendered Implications of Mental Health Terminology.
Social Science & Medicine 352:117015.
Headshot credit: Christine Kreschollek. All other photos courtesy of Unsplash.