Jessica Ho

Associate Professor of Sociology

Jessica Y. Ho is Associate Professor of Sociology at Vanderbilt University. She received her Ph.D. in Demography and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Ho’s major areas of research examine: (1) why American life expectancy lags far behind other high-income countries, (2) factors contributing to widening inequalities in mortality across social groups within the United States, and (3) the causes and consequences of the contemporary American drug overdose epidemic. Professor Ho’s work highlights the key role health behaviors and other socially patterned factors play in shaping American mortality. Some of her current projects focus on identifying how factors related to American culture, social institutions, and the organization of everyday life may explain why the United States has the lowest life expectancy of any high-income country; what countries with the highest life expectancies in the world have in common; and the consequences of the drug overdose epidemic for older adults, families, and intergenerational relationships.

Professor Ho has contributed to and consulted for two National Academy of Sciences panels on international comparisons of American longevity. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her work has been published in journals including Demography, Population and Development Review, The BMJ, and Journal of Health and Social Behavior.