Brian Finch

Brian Finch is a Research Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California (USC), affiliated with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He serves as the Senior Social Demographer at the Center for Economic and Social Research. His work bridges social demography, social epidemiology, and medical sociology, focusing on health disparities, social genomics, and criminology's impact on well-being.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Texas at Austin (2000)
• M.A. in Sociology, San Diego State University (1997)
• B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of California, Berkeley (1993)
• Postdoctoral Training: Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy at UC Berkeley (2000–2002)

Research Interests:

Finch's research examines health disparities through a multidisciplinary lens, including socioeconomic determinants of mortality, gene-environment interactions, and the sociocultural factors influencing health outcomes. Recent work explores gentrification's impact on birth outcomes, racial disparities in policing-related deaths, and the role of acculturation in mental health among immigrant populations.

Grants & Advising:

His research has been supported by grants focusing on topics such as neighborhood effects on health, labor trafficking among migrant workers, and the IGEMS consortium on gene-environment interplay. Finch has advised numerous studies involving quantitative methods and policy analysis, though specific student names are not listed here.

Labs/Teams:

Affiliated with the Center for Economic and Social Research, where he leads projects on social determinants of health and urban policy. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on topics ranging from genomics to criminology.