Carla A. Pfeffer

Dr. Carla A. Pfeffer is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University, with affiliations as a Community-Engaged Research Fellow, Big Ten Academic Alliance Leadership Fellow, and Core Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Gender in Global Context. She previously directed the Consortium for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society.

Her research critically examines intersections of family dynamics, gender identities, sexualities, and social stigma, focusing on marginalized communities such as transgender individuals and their families. She has explored topics like trans pregnancy, healthcare disparities, and fat-acceptance activism, funded by organizations including the Economic and Social Research Council, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and American Council of Learned Societies.

Dr. Pfeffer has received national recognition, including the American Sociological Association Section on Sex and Gender Distinguished Book Award for Queering Families: The Postmodern Partnerships of Cisgender Women and Transgender Men (Oxford University Press, 2017). She has presented her work globally at institutions like Harvard University, University of California-Berkeley, and University of Leeds, and her research has appeared in journals such as Archives of Sexual Behavior, Gender & Society, and American Psychologist.

She is actively involved in peer review, editorial boards, and academic governance, having served as Chair of ASA sections on Sex & Gender and Body and Embodiment. Her community engagement includes the Haslett Public School District Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Team.