The Department of Sociology and Criminology welcomes the addition of Kiwoong Park, an assistant professor of sociology, to its faculty this fall.

Park received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University at Albany-State University of New York (SUNY) in 2019. He earned a Master of Arts (2012) and a Bachelor of Arts (2010) in sociology from the Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.  

His scholarship focuses on the social determinants of health and health data analytics. He studies the nature and sources of health differentials with a focus on spatial/temporal dimensions. His research specifically examines how racial discrimination, residential segregation, and neighborhood characteristics shape individuals' health outcomes across the life course. His future research will look further ahead into the roles of communities in which individuals are embedded and the intergenerational transmission of health inequality.

His work has been published in Social Science Research, The Sociological Quarterly, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Journal of Urban Health, and others. He is a member of the American Sociological Association (ASA; medical sociology section) and the Population Association of America (PAA). Park will teach courses in sociology of health and also contribute to the interdisciplinary data science program.

"We're delighted to have Dr. Park join our department and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences," said Anna Zajicek, department chair and interim associate dean. "We have been intentionally building health, well-being, and data analytics as our areas of strength. Dr. Park joins Dr. Hearne, a second-year assistant professor whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and educational attainment with health. In collaboration with other departmental faculty, Park and Hearne will strengthen our contributions to the two signature areas: Enriching Human Health and Community Vibrancy and Harnessing the Data Revolution."

About the Department: The Department of Sociology and Criminology offers three degree programs and two honor societies; affiliation with three research units: the Center for Social Research. the Community and Family Institute, and the Terrorism Research Center; and research emphases in community, crime, health and well-being, and social data analytics.