Dr. Leigh Willis
(Curriculum Vitae) Dr. Leigh Willis, Assistant Professor of Sociology, has been at the University of Georgia since 2003. He received a Ph.D. in Sociology
from the University of Alabama- Birmingham in 2004. Dr. Willis also earned a Masters in Public Health in Health Behavior at the University
of Alabama, Birmingham in 2003. Dr. Willis's most recent work examines
African-American Health, specifically seeking to improve the health
status of African-Americans by examining and reducing health
disparities. Currently, he is working on a paper which examines the
differences in mental health use of African-Americans and other ethnic
groups. His second program of research is in sexual risk. In this
area, he has completed a study which examines the father's level of
paternal care giving and how that translates into sexual risk in their
sons. Dr Willis's third program of research is in the area of mental
health, specifically explaining the current incidence and prevalence
of mental disorders in the US and abroad. He is currently working on a
manuscript with a co-author in which they seek to determine if the
current prevalence of mental disorder is valid, or if it is the
product of the increasing medicalization of ‘deviant' behavior. His
third program of research is in African-American suicide where he is
developing an intervention to use media to prevent suicide among
African-Americans. Dr. Willis' final program of research is in the
area of men's studies.
Selected Honors, Awards, and Grants
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Office of Public Health; Center for Health Marketing and Communication
"The Southern Center for Communication, Health and Poverty", (PI: Vicki Freimuth), Member of the Research Core.
2005-2006. Lilly Teaching Fellowship
2005-2006. IBR Mentoring Fellowship
Selected Publications
Crosby, Alexander E., David W. Coombs, and Leigh A. Willis. Forthcoming. "Applying Behavioral Theory to Self-Directed Violence." in Injury Prevention and Violence: Behavioral Science Theories, Methods, and Applications, edited by A. C. Gielen, D. A. Sleet, and R. J. DiCliment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davies, Susan L., Emily S. Dix, Scott D. Rhodes, Katherine F. Harrington, Sonja L. Frison, and Leigh A. Willis. 2004. "Perceptions toward Adolescent pregnancy among young African-American Fathers." American Journal of Health Behavior 28:418-425.
Willis, Leigh A., David W. Coombs, Patricia Drentea, and William C. Cockerham. 2003. "Uncovering the Mystery: Factors of African-American Suicide." Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 33:412-433.
Willis, Leigh A., David W. Coombs, William C. Cockerham, and Sonja L. Frison. 2002. "Ready to Die: A Postmodern Explanation of the Increase of African-American Adolescent Male Suicide." Social Science and Medicine 55:169-182.
Contact Information
Department of Sociology
315 Baldwin Hall
Athens, GA 30602-1611
706-542-3196 (office)
706-542-4320 (fax)
lawillis@uga.edu
