Jessica Y. Ho

Jessica Y. Ho is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at The Pennsylvania State University. She holds affiliations with the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) as a Co-Funded Faculty member and the Population Research Institute (PRI) as a Faculty Affiliate.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Demography and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania (2013)
• A.M. in Demography from the University of Pennsylvania (2010)
• B.A. in Economics and Health and Societies from the University of Pennsylvania (2009)

Dr. Ho's research centers on explaining America's lagging life expectancy among high-income nations, widening mortality inequalities across social groups, and the societal impacts of the drug overdose epidemic. Her work demonstrates how health behaviors and socially patterned factors drive U.S. mortality trends, with current projects examining cultural and institutional contributors to America's low life expectancy and overdose consequences for families and intergenerational dynamics. Her expertise spans demography, aging, health disparities, and cross-national health comparisons.

Her primary research domains include Demography, Life Expectancy, Aging, Health Disparities, Social Inequality, Mortality, Drug Overdose Epidemic, and International Comparisons.

No scientific awards were documented in the source materials.

Details regarding student advising and grant funding were not specified in the provided texts.

She actively contributes to research through her institutional affiliations with the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) and Population Research Institute (PRI) at Penn State.