معرفی
Andrea N. Polonijo is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Merced. Her research focuses on health disparities, vaccination uptake, and LGBTQ+ health, emphasizing social determinants of health across axes of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. She leads funded projects on vaccination disparities among agricultural workers, stigma as a fundamental cause of health inequalities for sexual and gender minorities, and socioeconomic status and childhood vaccination in Denmark. Dr. Polonijo holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and an MPH in Health Promotion from the University of Toronto, with postdoctoral training in Social Medicine at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.
Her research has been published in journals such as Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, and AIDS and Behavior. She actively engages with media and community stakeholders on health disparities and vaccine policies, contributing expert commentary to outlets like the San Diego Union-Tribune and Teen Vogue. Current projects include collaborations with communities living with HIV to improve mental health and social engagement through virtual interventions.
Dr. Polonijo teaches courses on medical sociology, health disparities, research methods, and writing for publication. Her work bridges sociological theory with public health practice, advocating for evidence-based policies to reduce health inequities.
