
Creates a collaborative and inclusive space.
Shari Dworkin is a distinguished social science scholar with expertise in medical sociology. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from the University of Southern California in 2000, along with a Certificate in Gender Studies. Prior degrees include an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1994, an M.S. in Biostatistics from Columbia University in 2005, and a B.S. Honors in Business Logistics from Pennsylvania State University in 1990. Her career trajectory reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of sociology, public health, and gender studies. She served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College from 2000 to 2002, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Research Scientist at Columbia University's HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies from 2002 to 2008, and Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine in Columbia's Department of Psychiatry from 2005 to 2008. At the University of California, San Francisco, she advanced from Associate Professor of Sociology (2008-2014) to full Professor (2014-2017), while also holding the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Nursing. Since 2017, she has been Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, where she served as Dean from 2017 to 2022.
Dworkin's research specializations center on gender relations and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment; structural interventions for HIV; and masculinities-based programming with heterosexually-active men to address HIV risks, violence prevention, and family planning. Her influential publications include the books 'Built to Win: The Female Athlete as Cultural Icon' (2003, co-authored with Leslie Heywood), 'Body Panic: Gender, Health, and the Selling of Fitness' (2009, co-authored with Faye L. Wachs), and 'Men at Risk: Masculinity, Heterosexuality, and HIV/AIDS Prevention' (2015). Key articles encompass 'Who is epidemiologically fathomable in the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Gender, visibility, and intersectionality in public health' (2005), 'Impact of an anti-violence and HIV program on masculinities and gender ideologies' (2013, with Hatcher, Colvin, and Peacock), and 'The promises and limitations of gender-transformative health programming with men' (2015, with Colvin and Fleming). She has garnered major honors, including the Distinguished Scholarship Award from the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (2010), the Distinction in Mentoring Award from the UCSF Academic Senate (2013), the Research Mentor Award from UCSF School of Nursing (2012), and the National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (2002-2005). Dworkin's scholarship has profoundly shaped the field of gender-transformative interventions in global health, evidenced by over 17,000 citations on Google Scholar.