Krysia Mossakowski

Krysia Mossakowski is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, within the College of Arts, Languages & Letters. She is an active researcher and educator specializing in medical sociology, with a focus on stress, mental health, and social well-being. Her work is supported by a National Institutes of Health grant examining stress, social support, and depression in relation to Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, Indiana University – Bloomington, 2005
• MA in Sociology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 1999
• BA in Sociology with Honors, First Class, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 1996

Her research investigates the long-term effects of chronic stressors such as discrimination, job insecurity, poverty, and caregiving on mental health across the life course. She explores how social support and ethnic identity can buffer the negative impacts of stress. Recent work includes survey research with young adults in Hawai‘i to examine how culture, identity, and place shape psychological outcomes.

Although no specific publications are listed in the provided text, her research program consistently uses national longitudinal datasets and new survey data to analyze stress and health disparities, contributing to fields like medical sociology, social psychology, and public health.

Scientific Awards:

• Chancellor’s Citation for Meritorious Teaching (2015)

She has advised numerous students and secured competitive external funding, including a grant from the National Institutes of Health. She is actively involved in mentoring and academic service, and she has contributed to public policy through her role in the Scholars Strategy Network. Her community engagement includes collaborations with Mental Health America Hawai‘i and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hawai‘i, where she has supported mental health awareness and workplace education initiatives.

She co-leads the Hawai‘i Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), which connects scholars with policymakers to address pressing social and public health challenges. Her work bridges academic research and civic engagement, aiming to inform policy and improve community well-being.