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Deborah Carr
View on WikipediaDeborah Carr is a U.S. sociologist, academic, and author. She is the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Sociology and the inaugural director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science at Boston University.[1][2] In 2024, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[3][4][5]
Key Information
Education
[edit]Carr grew up in Cranston, RI and graduated from Cranston High School East. She earned her B.A. in sociology-based human relations at Connecticut College and received her PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997,[6] where her dissertation focused on whether the fulfillment of occupational goals influences mental health at midlife.[7]
Career
[edit]Academic positions
[edit]Carr has held faculty positions at University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and Rutgers University, where she was acting director of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy & Aging Research.[8] In September 2021, she was appointed as the inaugural director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science at Boston University.[2] In May 2024, she was awarded the title of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor by the Dean of the Boston University College of Arts & Sciences.[1]
Editorial positions
[edit]In January 2023, she was appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.[9] Prior to this, she held the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences from 2015 to 2020.[10] Additionally, she has served as Deputy Editor for both Social Psychology Quarterly and the Journal of Marriage and Family, as well as Trends Editor for Contexts.[6]
Leadership in major surveys
[edit]She has led several surveys, including her current role as the Principal Investigator of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79)[11] and co-investigator of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS).[8] Additionally, she served as the Principal Investigator of the New Jersey End of Life Study and Wisconsin Study of Families and Loss (WISTFL), a follow up to Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.[6] She has also chaired the Board of Overseers of the General Social Survey.[8]
Research
[edit]Carr is a life course sociologist who specializes in utilizing survey data and quantitative methods to investigate social factors affecting health and well-being in later life.[12] Her research focuses on four key areas: the effects of family-related stressors, such as divorce and widowhood, on health and well-being in older adulthood,[13][14] the social, psychological, and interpersonal consequences of the stigma associated with obesity,[15] the impact of climate change on the health and well-being of older adults,[16] and issues related to death, dying, and bereavement.[17] Her work has been funded by National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and RRF Foundation on Aging, among other organizations.[12] She has authored several books including Aging in America[18] (2023, University of California Press), Golden Years? Social Inequality in Late Life[19] (2019, Russell Sage), and Worried Sick[20] (2014, Rutgers University Press).
Recognition
[edit]- Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor, Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, 2024[1]
- Elected member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2024[3][4][5]
- Mentoring Award, Section on Aging and the Life Course, American Sociological Association, 2023[21]
- Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award, Section on Aging and the Life Course, American Sociological Association, 2023[22]
- Richard Kalish Innovation Publication Award for Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life (2019),[23] Gerontological Society of America, 2020[24]
- Member, Sociological Research Association, 2008[25]
- Fellow, Gerontological Society of America, 2006[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c CAS Names Inaugural A&S Term Distinguished Professors. BU Arts & Sciences. May 3, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b New Center for Innovation in Social Science aims to foster creativity through collaboration. BU Arts and Sciences Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Honoring Excellence, Inviting Involvement: 2024 Member Announcementc. American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Carr and Schmidt elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. BU Arts & Sciences. April 24, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Most, Doug. 2024. "American Academy of Arts & Sciences Welcomes Five BU Members." Bostonia: Boston University's Alumni Magazine, April 26. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c Deborah Carr. Council on Contemporary Families. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Carr, Deborah Suzanne. 1997. The Fulfillment of Career Goals Over the Life Course and Midlife Mental Health. PhD dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Deborah Carr. Boston University. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Idler, Ellen. Deborah Carr Appointed Editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Footnotes (A Magazine of the American Sociological Association), Vol. 50, Issue 3. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Deborah Carr. The Conversation. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ NLSY User-Initiated Questions. National Longitudinal Surveys (A Program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Deborah Suzanne Carr. American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Span, Paula. 2022. "Who Will Care for ‘Kinless’ Seniors? The New Old Age." The New York Times, December 3. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Goodman, Brenda. 2023. "After a Lifetime Together, Surviving Spouses Can Be Vulnerable in Grief." CNN Health, November 27. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Vilakazi, Lindiwe. 2024. "Examining the Stigma and Barriers Behind Ozempic for Overweight, Obese Patients." Washington Informer, August 21. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Span, Paula. 2023. "Still Dreaming of Retirement in the Sun Belt? The New Old Age." The New York Times, August 5. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Krisch, Joshua A. 2023. "What the Loss of a Child Does to Parents, Psychologically and Biologically." Fatherly, May 19. (Originally published January 28, 2019). Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Carr, Deborah (2023). Aging in America. Sociology in the twenty-first century. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-97216-2.
- ^ Carr, Deborah (2019). Golden years? social inequality in later life. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. ISBN 978-1-61044-877-2.
- ^ Carr, Deborah (2014). Worried Sick: How Stress Hurts Us and How to Bounce Back. Pinpoints Series (1st ed.). New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-6537-8.
- ^ Previous Award Winners: SALC Mentoring Award. ASA Section on Aging & the Life Course. American Sociological Association. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ The Section on Aging and the Life Course’s Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award. Aging and the Life Course Award Recipient History. American Sociological Association. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Jessica A. 2020. "Review of Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life, by Deborah S. Carr." The American Journal of Sociology 125(4):1143-1145. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ The Gerontological Society of America Congratulates 2020 Awardees. Gerontological Society of America. May 26, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Searchable link to current members. Sociological Research Association. April 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.