Jeffrey E. Stokes, PhD

Department Head & Associate Professor

Biography

Jeffrey E. Stokes, PhD, is sociologist and social gerontologist specializing in aging, families, and health. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston College in 2017, after which he served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Illinois State University (2017-2018), and as Assistant (2018-2024) and Associate (2024-2026) Professor of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Stokes joined the Department of Allied Health Sciences as Associate Professor and Department Head in 2026. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed academic journal Research on Aging. Dr. Stokes’ research focuses on social connectedness, aging, and health. He leads a highly interdisciplinary, collaborative, and innovative team that employs theoretical perspectives from diverse disciplines, sophisticated and innovative methodological techniques, and rigorous study designs that incorporate large-scale population-based panel data. His research program centers on three complementary themes: (1) intimate, family, and social relationships throughout the years of middle and later adulthood; (2) individual and relational outcomes of bereavement across multiple generations; and (3) neighborhood contextual effects on mental, physical, and cognitive health in midlife and older age. He has a particular interest in the role of loneliness in shaping health outcomes in mid and later life, especially among those who are not necessarily socially isolated (e.g., loneliness among older couples). He takes a biopsychosocial approach to studying health, including among aging couples, exploring links between mental and physical health and the ways in which social relationships and stressors get “under the skin” to impact healthy aging. Dr. Stokes welcome collaboration with students at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels.

View CV