Two more faculty members of the Sociology and Anthropology department are in the news this week!   Citing Christina Ryder, per course faculty for the department, who sent an email notice to congratulate co-workers and acknowledge their work in the community:

Dr. Elizabeth Sobel

Dr. Kyler Sherman-Wilkins

“Dr. Sobel was interviewed, and her work will be showcased for an upcoming OPT documentary “Generations: African American Experiences in Springfield and the Ozarks” premiering on OPT on the 15th, 18th, and Juneteenth! More information can be found here:  Ozarks Public Television to premiere African American history documentary  – Springfield Daily Citizen

Dr. Sherman-Wilkins, as the Board President of GLO, was noted in a KY3 report about the passage of a City Council cultural inclusion, and specifically LGBTQ inclusion and belonging, resolution. It passed 8-1 last night! The story can be found here: Springfield City Council passes resolution that improves culture of inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ+ community members”

Dr. Elizabeth Sobel is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Missouri State University. Her research interests include archaeology and ethnohistory of North America, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest and Ozarks regions, native peoples of North America, historical archaeology of Native Americans and African Americans, and anthropology of hunter-gatherers.

At MSU, Dr. Sobel teaches several courses, some of which she developed. Among them are Introduction to Archaeology, Anthropology of Hunters and Gatherers, Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherers, Material Culture and Research Design, and Writing in Anthropology. She has published more than 10 journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Kyler James Sherman-Wilkins is an associate professor of sociology, a faculty affiliate in the gerontology program, and founder and director of the Health Equity Research Collective (HERC) at Missouri State University. A social demographer and life course sociologist by training, Sherman-Wilkins’ research centers around the social and structural determinants of health and health inequities, particularly as it pertains to cognitive health, across the life course. His work has appeared in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Geriatrics, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Dr. Sherman Wilkins is a dedicated and award-winning teacher and advisor who focuses on empowering students to address challenges in their communities through activism and policy. Through HERC, he is committed to training the next generation of health equity researchers and he also frequently contributes to advisor training through MSU’s Academic Advising and Transfer Center’s advisor forums. In addition to teaching and research, Sherman-Wilkins is engaged in campus, professional, and community service, and sits on Missouri State’s Pre-Med Committee, the Provost’s Diversity Council, the Board of Trustees for PRB, a population research organization in Washington D.C., in office as Vice-President of the local NAACP, the Board of Directors for PROMO, Missouri’s Statewide LGBTQ+ Advocacy organization and the Board of Directors for the Missouri Foundation for Health. He is also a founding board member of the Missouri Council on Aging.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology congratulates and admires all of our faculty, and is proud when they are above and beyond for their community!