My name is Clifford Ross and I am currently working as a postdoctoral scholar on the HEAL project at Vanderbilt University. I received my PhD in medical sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in August 2024, and previously earned an undergraduate degree in sociology from Boise State University in Idaho. My recent work examines racial disparities in end-of-life care, specifically investigating whether policy interventions (i.e., improving access to hospice care and/or end-of-life planning) can help address inequalities in older adults’ healthcare experiences. A central component of this work involves using Medicare records to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of health policy aimed at improving end-of-life care, with the goal of identifying where policy can do more to close these gaps.

My work generally focuses on medical sociology and related areas, with an emphasis on the ways that systems of social stratification (the labor market, family formation, health policy, and healthcare access) create and perpetuate health disparities across the life course.

Health Policy:
A central component of my work involves using Medicare records to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of health policy aimed at improving end-of-life care, with the goal of identifying where policy can do more to close persistent disparities in older adults’ healthcare experiences.

Families, Labor, and Health:

Using sequence analysis approaches, I utilized 40 years of labor force data to understand how sociodemographic factors (race, gender, and motherhood) shape working histories and influence health at midlife. I've also published recent work examining the relationship between sustained union membership and health outcomes, and how unintended childbearing is associated with increased debt at midlife. 

I've also contributed to research on women's childbearing experiences and how the timing and wantedness of births influence health and socioeconomic outcomes.

Generally, my work uses quantitative methods and longitudinal data analysis with a life course approach.