The purpose of the Section on Medical Sociology is to foster the development of sociology in the field of health through the organized interchange of ideas, teaching experiences, research programs, and results. The Section on Medical Sociology examines the phenomena of health and illness, the social organization of health care delivery, and differential access to medical resources.
Bylaws
Annual Report (2025)
Award Recipient History
Newsletters
Resources
Section Council
Chair: Lijun Song, Vanderbilt University
Chair-Elect: Amelie Quesnel-Vallee, McGill University
Past Chair: Karen Lutfey Spencer, University of Colorado Denver
Section Secretary/Treasurer: Sam Trejo, Princeton University
Section Secretary/Treasurer-Elect: TBD JUNE 2026
Christie LeeAnn Caruana, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Student Representative)
KJ Davidson-Turner, University of Texas at Austin (Student Representative)
Patricia Louie, University of Washington
Emily Vasquez, University of Illinois Chicago
Committee Leadership
Section Career & Employment Committee Chair: Amy L. Johnson, Lehigh University
Section Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair: San Juanita García, University of California, Santa Barbara
Section Health Policy & Research Committee Chair: Cathy van de Ruit, Ursinus College
Section Membership Committee Chair: Jonathan Shaffer, University of Vermont
Section Publications Committee Chair: Melanie Jeske, Baylor College of Medicine
Section Teaching Committee Chair: Catherine Tan, Vassar College
Section Nominations Committee
Chair-Elect: Courtney E. Boen, Brown University
Chair: Alexandra Vinson, University of Michigan
Sarah Brothers, Pennsylvania State University
Anna Church, Cornell University (Student Representative)
Meredith Van Natta, University of California, Merced
Visit the Section’s Twitter here. We also encourage you to join the Section to gain access to our bi-monthly listserv. On the 1st and 15th of each month, the Section’s listserv manager shares updates, announcements, and opportunities to all Section members, including calls for applications, papers, and conference abstracts. To gain access to the listserv you must be an ASA member with a Medical Sociology Section membership, click here to learn more.