Department of Sociology

Dr. David Russell is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Appalachian State University. He earned his PhD in sociology from Florida State University and completed a National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mental Health Services and Systems at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University. His teaching and research interests include medical sociology, aging and the life-course, stress and mental health. Some of the courses he has recently taught include Senior Capstone, Social Statistics & Data Analysis, and Medical Sociology. His current research cuts across these areas and explores several topics, including factors impacting family caregiving for older adults with needs for functional assistance, the role of state capacity in shaping vaccination uptake across distinct phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, and identification of social and cultural forces underlying rampage school shootings.

 Courses Taught

• SOC 1000: The Sociological Perspective
• SOC 2600: Medical Sociology
• SOC 3895: Social Statistics and Data Analysis
• SOC 4450: Senior Capstone

Research Interests

• Medical Sociology
• Aging & the Life Course
• Sociology of Stress and Mental Health 
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods

Recent Publications

Friesen, Phoebe, Christina Wusinich, Katherine Lynch, and David Russell. 2024. “‘A Light at the End of the Tunnel’: Experiences With Peer Specialists in the Open Dialogue Model.” Psychiatric Services 75(3):283–86.

Miyawaki, Christina E., Angela McClellan, David Russell, and Erin D. Bouldin. 2024. “Comparing Unmet Service Needs between Rural and Urban Family Caregivers of People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: A Multi-Site Study.” The Gerontologist.

Russell, David, Naomi J. Spence, Jo-Ana D. Chase, Tatum Schwartz, Christa M. Tumminello, and Erin Bouldin. 2022. “Support amid Uncertainty: Long COVID Illness Experiences and the Role of Online Communities.” SSM - Qualitative Research in Health 2:100177.

Spence, Naomi J., David Russell, Erin D. Bouldin, Christa M. Tumminello, and Tatum Schwartz. 2023. “Getting back to Normal? Identity and Role Disruptions among Adults with Long COVID.” Sociology of Health & Illness 45(4):914–34.