Samantha Nousak, Ph.D.
Biography
Dr. Samantha Nousak broadly researches how the economy impacts health outcomes and definitions, ranging from disability to wellness. She recently served as the coordinator and a guest editor of a special edition of Sociation focusing on the intersections of disability and the Covid-19 pandemic, and she provides many talks on disability across the Kent State campus. Her current projects include extending Fundamental Cause Theory to positive and mental health outcomes, advocating for increased disability representation in academia, and working on numerous community wellness, mental health, and substance use grants in the Center for Public Policy and Health.
In her spare time, Samantha enjoys writing fiction, playing her various instruments, and making jam.
Education
M.A. in Sociology, 2020
Ph.D. in Sociology (Concentration: Social Psychology), 2023
Expertise
Disability
Publications
- Nousak, Samantha. 2024. "Extending Fundamental Cause Theory to Holistic Health." Sociology of Health and Illness 47(1): e13875.
- Laurene, Kimberly R., Samantha Nousak, Kayla H. Marker, Abdulwasiu Ibrahim, and Deric R. Kenne. 2024. “Awareness. Interaction. Direction. (A.I.D.): Evaluation of a novel mental health awareness training.” Advances in Mental Health 22(3):365-378.
- Nousak, Samantha, Leanne Barry, and Susan Fisk. 2024. “Deepening Learning and Addressing Inequalities: A Psycho-Social Approach to Improving Statistical Literacy Throughout Sociology Curricula.” Teaching Sociology 52(3):276-287.
- Nousak, Samantha. 2022. “Introduction: Covid-19, Disability, & the Sociological Imagination.” Sociation 21(1).
- Nousak, Samantha and Marni Brown. 2022. “Disability & Covid-19: Sociation Special Edition Conversations.” Podcast accompanying Sociation 21(1).
- Nousak, Samantha. 2018. Attitudes towards births outside of marriage: 1988 & 2012. (Family Profiles, FP-18-13). Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. doi: 10.25035/ncfmr/fp-18-13
Awards/Achievements
- Lewis-Benson Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Award
- Mary Ann Stephens and John R. Graham Award for Excellence in Graduate Research
- James T. Laing Scholarship in Sociology
