Shannon Monnat

Shannon Monnat is a Professor of Sociology at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, holding the Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health. She directs the Center for Policy Research and co-directs the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab. Her research focuses on rural health disparities, drug overdose trends, and the spatial determinants of population health, with recent emphasis on geographic differences in pandemic impacts.

Monnat earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany in 2008. She is a leading expert on 'deaths of despair,' rural demography, and the intersection of policy and public health. Her work has been funded by NIH grants, including initiatives on rural population health, life course health dynamics, and disparities across the life course.

Her research interests include structural determinants of health, drug overdose epidemiology, and the demographic shifts shaping rural America. She collaborates with institutions like the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, addressing topics such as state-level pandemic policies and mental health outcomes.

Monnat has received accolades including Syracuse University's Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence (2023) and the Excellence in Graduate Education Award (2022). Her publications span academic journals, policy reports, and edited volumes, including a 2024 book on rural and small-town America.