I received my BA in Religious Studies and Sociology from Stetson University in 2005. After 15 years working in the non-profit field, I returned to school in 2018 and received my MS in Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University in the Fall of 2020. I am currently completing doctoral training in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My long-term career goals are to use advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to study how spatial disparities in exposure to social, economic, health, environmental, and geographic conditions influence population and community outcomes related to mortality and prosperity.
My research draws on methods and perspectives from the social sciences and formal demography to examine disparities in mortality, social connectedness, and intergenerational mobility. I am particularly interested in uncovering the mechanisms driving heterogeneous outcomes that can be masked by aggregate statistical models.
- Understanding Geographic Disparities in Mortality
Specific geographic regions of the US have heightened levels of mortality, both overall and by specific cause of death. Despite a well-developed literature, few studies directly engage in explicitly examining potential drivers of these trends beyond population attributes. My colleagues and I have looked at how mortality varies across urban and rural designations for all-cause midlife mortality, along with to what degree can variation in geographic mortality be explained by factors such as economic structure. We found that places with increased mid-life mortality are associated with lower levels of intermediate commodity retention net of community prosperity. - Examining the Structural Factors that influence resource accessibility
With growing disparities between rural and urban populations, understanding the structural factors that influence resource accessibility is more critical than ever. My research focuses on rural communities, economic structures, and social connectedness, examining the complex interplay between migration, economic systems, and demographic disparities, with particular attention to rural-urban divides. Notable contributions and collaborations include investigations into rural migration patterns, racial and rural population growth disparities in the context of economic complexity, and the relationship between industrial structures and early-life mortality in rural America. Additionally, I explore innovative typologies of economic exchange and spatial structures, as well as the role of place-specific attributes in fostering social capital and connectedness. Through an interdisciplinary approach, my work and collaborations advance understanding of how economic and social systems shape resource access, health outcomes, and community well-being.
Sara A. Peters, MS 