Faculty | SIU

Robert T. Frase (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Sociology from Purdue University and a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) in Sociology from the University of Akron. His research interests include health inequalities, education, intergenerational relations, and mixed-methods research.

More specifically, his scholarly work can be divided into two interrelated research programs.The first program is situated in the literature on education-health disparities, investigating both the micro-level mechanisms that fuel these disparities and the macro-level factors that shape education-based health disparities over time. The second program investigates life events,well-being, and relationship quality from an intergenerational perspective. Recently, his work has been published in The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and Social Currents.

Dr. Frase has taught undergraduate courses on Social Problems, Medical Sociology, Sociological Theory, and Society & the Individual. His goal is to show all students that, as members of the social world, studying sociology is relevant to their lives and can benefit regardless of their specific program or career aspirations. Dr. Frase designs courses and assignments that encourage students to critically reflect on the world around them, and he has contributed to the American Sociological Association’s Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS).