Administrative Title

Associate Professor

Office Address

Faculty Administration Building (FAB), Room 2251

Office Phone

 313-577-2930

Biography

Dr. Morton received her dual-title Ph.D. in Sociology and Gerontology from Purdue University. Broadly, Dr. Morton's academic interests center on understanding health and aging throughout the life course. Her research primarily focuses on the ways in which different domains of childhood disadvantage (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage; maltreatment) influence health and mortality in adulthood. This line of work underscores how early-life disadvantage can impact later-life health through multiple mechanisms such as socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and physiology.

Dr. Morton's approach to studying the early origins of adult health also addresses conceptual and methodological issues surrounding life course research. Her work has been published in various journals such as Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, and the Journals of Gerontology: Series B; highlighted by national and international news outlets; and received several awards, including the Gerontological Society of America's Theoretical Developments in Social Gerontology.

Please see Dr. Morton's CV.

Education Training

Interests

Aging and the Life Course

Population Health

Health Disparities

Social Inequality

Quantitative Methodology

Publications

Kim, Seoyoun, Hyunwoo Yoon, Patricia Morton, and Yuri Jang. 2022. “Longitudinal Links between Behavioral Activation Coping Strategies and Depressive Symptoms of U.S. Adults Living Alone during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Plos one 17(5):e0267948. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267948

Morton, Patricia M. 2022. “Childhood Disadvantage and Adult Functional Status: Do Early-Life Exposures Jeopardize Healthy Aging?” Journal of Aging and Health. 34:798-806. doi: 10.1177/08982643211064723

Morton, Patricia M., and Kenneth F. Ferraro. 2020. "Early Social Origins of Biological Risks for Men and Women in Later Life." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 61:503-522. doi: 10.1177/0022146520966364

Ferraro, Kenneth F. and Patricia M. Morton. 2018. “What Do We mean by Accumulation? Advancing Conceptual Precision for a Core Idea in Gerontology.” The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Social Sciences 73:269-278. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbv094

Grants
National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH). “Childhood Misfortune and Adult Health among Black, White, and Hispanic Americans.” PI: Ferraro. (R01AG043544/converted to RF1AG043544). $824,948, 2020-2024. Role: Site PI and Co-Investigator doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbw147

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