Jessica M. Perkins

Jessica M. Perkins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Previously, she served as a research fellow at the Departments of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research focuses on social norms, risk behaviors, and social determinants of health, with particular emphasis on low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Perkins' research interests primarily center around:

• Social norms and their influence on health behaviors
• Risk perception and misperception among adolescents
• Social determinants of health in global contexts
• Health disparities in low- and middle-income countries

Her publications reveal a consistent focus on how adolescents misperceive peer norms related to various health behaviors, including weight perception, dietary habits, and health service utilization. Dr. Perkins has demonstrated that these misperceptions often contribute to unhealthy behaviors and health disparities, particularly in cross-cultural contexts. Her work bridges global health research and practical interventions, making significant contributions to understanding how social norms influence health behaviors across diverse cultural settings.

Dr. Perkins' scholarly work shows strong methodological rigor through large-scale population studies in both Western and global contexts. Her research has important implications for developing culturally appropriate health education programs that account for normative misperceptions, with applications ranging from obesity prevention to HIV testing initiatives.