The Life Course Policy & Health Lab connects faculty and trainees from sociology, medicine, public policy, economics, and related disciplines to study how social and policy environments shape health across the lifespan. The Lifespan Lab focuses on how experiences accumulate over time and how key transitions, such as entering the workforce, starting a family, or aging into retirement, influence long-term health outcomes.
Our research examines how race, gender, and socioeconomic status structure opportunity and risk. We study how these forces compound over time to produce health advantages for some groups and continue disparities for others. Furthermore, the Lifespan Lab will researcfh how policies—at the local, state, and federal levels—can reduce these inequities and improve population health.
The lab serves as an intellectual home and a practical resource for scholars interested in life course research. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and policy-engaged scholarship, we aim to produce evidence that informs more equitable and effective health and social policy.