The Annual Charles B. Nam Lecture in the Sociology of Population, hosted on Friday, March 8, brought the Center for Demography and Population Health (CDPH) community together to hear from Jennifer Montez, Ph.D., a Sociology Professor from Syracuse University on the topic, “U.S. States and Population Health: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go From Here?”
Dr. Montez’s research has centered around trends in population health since the 1980s, particularly focusing on the policies affecting those trends. She also examines the effects these trends may have on women, people without college degrees, and those living in the South and Midwest.
Attendees included CDPH students, faculty, and staff, including Professor Emeritus Charles Nam, Ph.D., CDPH Founder and Former Director, who the lecture is named after, and Professor Emeritus Elwood “Woody” Carlson, Ph.D., Former CDPH Director and creator of the annual lecture series.
Attendees included CDPH students, faculty, and staff, including Professor Emeritus Charles Nam, Ph.D., CDPH Founder and Former Director, who the lecture is named after, and Professor Emeritus Elwood “Woody” Carlson, Ph.D., Former CDPH Director and creator of the annual lecture series.
Dr. Carlson established the lecture to recognize Dr. Nam’s significant contributions to the Center, and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy as a whole. To this day, Dr. Nam remains involved with the Center through his ongoing research and support for the Charles B. Nam Scholarship award and the Charles B. Nam Professorship.
The recipients of both the Charles B. Nam Scholarship and the Professorship also attended this year’s lecture.
William Pribula received the 2023 Charles B. Nam Scholarship in recognition of his past successes and the promise he shows in the fields of demography and population studies.
“It’s an honor to receive such a prestigious award,” said Pribula when asked about receiving the Nam Scholarship. “When I was looking at graduate programs, attending Florida State for Demography became a dream of mine. Receiving the scholarship helped alleviate the cost of graduate school, helping make my dream a reality, and I am deeply grateful for the generosity and support of the Center.”
Mathew Hauer, Ph.D., CDPH Associate Director and Associate Professor of Sociology at FSU, currently holds the prestigious Charles B. Nam Professorship Dr. Hauer studies the impacts of climate change on society and how migration could reshape the U.S. population distribution.
“Part of what I enjoy about the program is how the Center brings in scholars to talk about their interests and research,” said Pribula. “This year’s lecture by Dr. Montez was a highlight of my time in the program thus far. The lecture is a great way to be exposed to the field of demography, and I’m excited to see what future lectures have in store.”
In addition to the Charles B. Nam Annual Lecture in the Sociology of Population, CDPH hosts a number of Brown Bag Seminars each year to share knowledge about demography research at FSU and beyond. The Brown Bag series offers the opportunity to hear from distinguished guest lecturers in a casual setting.
To learn more about the Annual Charles B. Nam Lecture and the Center for Demography and Population Health, visit coss.fsu.edu/CDPH.