Alexandra Nowakowski

Alexandra "Xan" Nowakowski is an Assistant Professor at Florida State University College of Medicine, specializing in Geriatrics and Behavioral Sciences & Social Medicine. They are a medical sociologist, public health program evaluator, and community advocate, focusing on health equity in aging with chronic disease through mixed-methods research and patient advocacy.

Education:

• PhD in Medical Sociology, Florida State University
• MS in Medical Sociology, Florida State University
• MPH in Health Systems and Policy, Rutgers University
• BA in Political Science, Columbia University

Dr. Nowakowski's research amplifies marginalized populations' experiences through medical sociology, epidemiology, and interdisciplinary approaches, particularly for LGBTQIA+ communities and disability advocacy. Their work bridges life course analysis with clinical education and community partnerships.

Key Publications:

• Co-authored social fiction novel Other People’s Oysters (environmental health on Florida’s Forgotten Coast)
• Monograph: Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging
• Monograph: Sexual Deviance in Health and Aging
• Editor: Negotiating the Emotional Challenges of Conducting Deeply Personal Research in Health
• Editor: Health and Aging in the Margins book series (Rowman & Littlefield)

Advocacy & Scholarship Platforms:

• Co-founder of the trauma-informed Write Where It Hurts academic blog
• Active contributor to patient voice amplification blogs in science and medicine
• Integrates personal lived experience with cystic fibrosis and PTSD into public health practice