Cherish recently graduated from the program. Her dissertation examined sociological explanations for gender differences in chronic pain. Her areas of expertise include medical sociology, gender, aging and health (especially ageism), and sociology of the body & embodiment.
Cherish’s recent publications include an examination of gender patterns in subjective aging and an analysis of Twitter reactions to generational sacrifice as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research experience also includes working on a project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation. This mixed-methods project collected data from over 3,500 participants aged 50 or older, who were asked important questions about driving safety and retirement and hurricane preparedness.
Cherish is a dedicated instructor with experience teaching sociology of the body, sociology of sex and gender, social problems, sociology of marriage and the family, social deviance, drug and alcohol problems, and political sociology. She also has published course materials in the American Sociological Association’s Teaching Resources and Innovation Library for Sociology (TRAILS).
Cherish also was a recipient of the 2021 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) scholarship and was a top 10 finalist for an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (OTTA) through FSU’s Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE).
Email: cmichael@fsu.edu