Robert Hummer

Robert A. Hummer is the Howard W. Odum Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and a Faculty Fellow at the Carolina Population Center. He specializes in demography, population health, and aging, with a focus on health disparities across the life course. His research integrates demographic data with social theory to address U.S. population health challenges, including health policy and equity.

Education: Ph.D., Florida State University (1993); M.S. (1990), B.A. (1985). Professional background includes roles at the University of Texas at Austin (1996–2015), Louisiana State University (1995–1996), and East Carolina University (1993–1995).

Research interests include health disparities, aging, and the Add Health study, a longitudinal cohort study of over 20,000 Americans. His work examines racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes. Recent projects focus on familial loss, biological aging, and historical redlining’s impact on health.

Key contributions include the book *Population Health in America* (2019) and leadership in Add Health’s data collection, emphasizing innovation and accessibility. His research spans epidemiology, sociology, and public policy, addressing systemic inequities in health.