Group Alumni Members
Ashley Brash
Ashley Brash is a senior at West Virginia University. She is a sociology major with minors in women and gender studies, international relations and comparative politics, and political science. Her past research has focused on the language surrounding abortion legislation in West Virginia’s flagship newspaper over the past twenty years. Currently, she is continuing research on the relationship between abortion availability, health, and mortality at the county level.
Hannah DePoy
Hannah, a first-year medical student at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, grew up in Rockingham County, VA with deep-roots in neighboring Pendleton County, WV. In pursuit of her passions related to health and wellness in rural Appalachia, Hannah attended West Virginia University where she earned a BA degree in biology and minored in sociology. It was at WVU, specifically in one of Dr. Cossman’s courses, where she became acutely aware of the intimate connection between social wellbeing and physical health. This spurred her involvement in a succession of related sociology courses and projects, and during her gap year, Hannah spent time with the Research Team exploring social determinants of health. Hannah hopes to use her experiences, and the continued work of the Research Team, in service to her community and future patients.
Bernard DiGregorio
Bernard DiGregorio is currently a PhD student in sociology at West Virginia University. He earned his MA in sociology from West Virginia University in 2020, and his BA in sociology with a minor in computer science from Duquesne University in 2018. His current areas of interest include the sociology of religion, criminology, the sociology of mental health, social psychology, and sociological theory. His current research looks at the impact of religious views and religiosity on attitudes towards sentencing, and the role of religious coping in dealing with high stress situations such as incarceration and recovering from drug addiction.
Erin Hudnall
Erin is a third year PhD student in sociology. She received a BA in sociology and a BA in psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Erin's interests include prosocial behavior, altruism, and disaster volunteerism. She is also interested in public and community-engaged scholarship. Her current research focuses on the impacts of spontaneous volunteers' motivations and experiences on future volunteerism.
Riley Neff
Riley grew up in West Virginia and is a third year undergraduate student working to obtain their BA in Sociology, with minors in LGBTQ+ studies, French, and geography of globalization. Their interests include the sociology of culture, sex and gender, and institutional inequalities in education and health. Riley hopes to use their education and future research to decrease social inequality wherever possible, either via education of the public or social activism. They enjoy hiking, diner food, and long talks on the subject of the US foster care system. Riley is continuing their studies and is currently on track to graduate May 2020.
R. Kyle Saunders
R. Kyle Saunders earned his BA and MA in sociology from West Virginia University in 2014 and 2016, respectively. He is currently pursuing a PhD in sociology at Florida State University. He studies the social and political dimensions of the relationship between sexuality and health, specifically how physical and mental health issues differentially emerge within LGBT subgroups while considering the dynamics of aging and religion.
Janet Weeks
Janet A. Weeks is a Health Sociologist and Demographer who received her PhD from Florida State University. Her work broadly focuses on the social determinants of health and mortality, particularly on the impact of stress and health behaviors on health outcomes. She is funded through the CDC for her evaluation work with the West Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Control Program and has published in academic journals including Journal of Aging and Health and Social Science of Medicine. As an AmeriCorps VISTA alumni she is also a strong advocate for community engaged sociology and is currently working on a West Virginia health coalitions database, as well as meeting with state and local stakeholders in West Virginia to build partnerships and work through solutions to improve health outcomes with a particular focus on decreasing mortality from opioids and cancer.