Bio
Julia McQuillan is a Willa Cather Professor of sociology as well as chair of the Sociology Department. She has done research about the psychosocial dimensions and the health disparities of fertility and infertility in women. McQuillan has also researched fertility’s effect on marriage and divorce. She is currently researching about social inequality, with special emphasis on changing structures and practices to increase equity and wellbeing.
Bio
Christina Falci has been an associate professor in the Department of Sociology since 2012. She has written several research articles about depression in adolescence and about the cross of race and gender in mental health. Her current research focus has two key branches. First, to understand the social determinants of mental health and illness by using four key determinants: social network structure, perceptions of social relationships, stress exposure, and the self-concept. Second, she draws from social psychology and network theory, to study both the predictors and consequences of faculty social networks. Falci is an active chairwomen for Women in the Profession Committee for the Midwest Sociological Society.
Bio
Julia Torquati is a professor in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies and chair of the Infant Mental Health Committee. Torquati studies the impact of programs that move kids outdoors and also studies effective teaching methods for teachers. Her recent work has examined the relationship between family income, parent education and the quality of early childhood education programs, as well as environmental education, a natural way to nurture children’ development and learning. She holds a doctorate in family studies from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Department of Pediatrics.