Dr. Joseph Lariscy joined our department this fall as an Assistant Professor.  Dr. Lariscy is originally from Savannah, Georgia.  He did his undergraduate at the University of Georgia and received his PhD in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013.  Dr. Lariscy was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Population Research Institute at Duke University.

Dr. Lariscy is a health sociologist trained in social demographic methods with interests in racial/ethnic health disparities.  His primary research contributions examine racial/ethnic inequalities in older adult mortality risk and the early-life processes, particularly health behaviors and educational attainment, which engender or exacerbate later-life health disparities. He has two main lines of research.  The first, draws on the social demographic perspective to examine racial/ethnic mortality differentials, with particular attention to the Hispanic paradox. A second line of his research agenda examines health risk behaviors, particularly tobacco use, among immigrants in adolescence and young adulthood.

In his free time, Dr. Lariscy enjoys watching college football. He’s been fortunate to attend and work for several universities with nationally-recognized football teams and enthusiastic fan bases: University of Georgia, University of Texas, Duke University, and now the University of Memphis.