Christina Kamis

Christina Kamis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Her research lies at the intersection of sociology, demography, and population health, with a strong focus on life course trajectories and mental health.

Research Interests: Her work investigates how early life experiences—particularly childhood adversity, parental loss, and neighborhood disadvantage—shape long-term mental health outcomes. She is deeply engaged in understanding health disparities through structural and social network lenses. Key areas include:

• Life Course and Aging
• Mental Health and Psychopathology
• Medical Sociology
• Health Disparities by race, gender, and geography
• Demography and population health
• Adolescent peer networks and social integration

Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications (2020–2025) reveal a consistent focus on longitudinal analysis of childhood trauma and its ripple effects into adulthood. She integrates data on social networks, epigenetic aging, and cumulative contextual disadvantage, often using advanced statistical methods and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her work appears in leading journals such as Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Child Abuse and Neglect, and SSM - Population Health.

Scientific Affiliations and Recognition:

• Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Illinois
• Former Postdoctoral Trainee, Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Ph.D. in Sociology, Duke University

Advising and Research Grants: While specific students and grants are not listed in the provided text, her active publication record with junior collaborators suggests involvement in mentoring graduate students and securing research funding. Her work often involves large-scale data linkage and interdisciplinary teams, indicating likely participation in federally funded projects related to population health and social determinants.

Laboratories and Research Teams: Though no formal lab is named, she collaborates extensively with scholars in epidemiology, sociology, and public health, particularly on projects involving the analysis of social networks and neighborhood effects on health. Her affiliations suggest integration within research clusters focused on health disparities and life course sociology at Illinois.