Michael McFarland, PhD

Biography

Michael McFarland, Ph.D., earned his doctorate in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. Dr. McFarland’s research agenda focuses on understanding racial and socioeconomic disparities in mental and physical health with a special focus on poverty exposure and educational attainment. Specifically, his work is centered on employing a biosocial approach to health disparities which consists of four interrelated themes that seek to increase our knowledge of how social processes shape population health. These areas include: (a) elucidating biosocial mechanisms by which health disparities emerge; (b) investigating the impact of social exposures during biologically sensitive periods; (c) understanding genetic heterogeneity in social processes shaping health; and (d) providing causally informative tests for the health-related benefits of education.

Education

2012-2014 Postdoctoral Researcher, Princeton University Center for Research on Child Wellbeing

2012 Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin