معرفی
Celeste Watkins-Hayes is a Professor of Sociology and Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and holds a dual appointment at the Ford School of Public Policy. She is also a former faculty member at Northwestern University, where she served as Chair of the Department of African American Studies (2011-2013) and Associate Vice President for Research (2018-2020). Her research focuses on HIV/AIDS, urban poverty, social policy, and intersectional inequalities, with a particular emphasis on race, class, and gender dynamics. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University and has held prestigious fellowships such as the National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award.
- Education: Ph.D. Sociology, Harvard University (2003); M.A. Sociology, Harvard University (2000); B.A. Spelman College (1996)
- Key Roles: Board Member of Spelman College (2009-2019), Trustee of the Detroit Institute of Arts (2017-present), and Founding Director of ASCEND at Northwestern University (2018-2020)
Her groundbreaking book Remaking a Life examines how Black women living with HIV/AIDS navigate systemic inequalities, earning multiple awards including the Eliot Freidson Award and a PROSE Book Award Finalist nod. Her work bridges academia and public policy, addressing urgent issues like vaccine hesitancy, racial disparities in healthcare, and HIV/AIDS activism. She has advised numerous grants totaling over $1 million and serves on editorial boards for leading journals such as American Sociological Review and Social Problems.
Watkins-Hayes has mentored dozens of graduate students and advised over 50 research projects, emphasizing intersectional approaches. Her community engagement includes keynote addresses at conferences like the International AIDS Society and media contributions to New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and podcasts like Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.
