Assistant Professor of Sociology

Jon Shaffer (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Vermont. His academic interests have focused on the intersection of global health, human rights, science and technology studies, and social movements. His dissertation comparatively studies the political construction of two “model demonstration projects” as sites of global public health science. The first, in Finland, succeeded in making legible the problem of noncommunicable diseases as understood and experienced by citizens in the Global North. The second, in Sierra Leone, is challenging that understanding, based on the experiences of impoverished people in the Global South. Through this comparison, he demonstrates how conflicting normative principles of just action and right knowledge are enacted, contested, and settled at the local, institutional, and global governance levels in the field of global health practice. In addition to his academic work, Jon has founded and led Right to Health ActionPIH Engage, and GlobeMed. He is passionate about building people-powered campaigns and organizations that fight for the right to health. 

 

head shot against brick wall

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Global health disparities, nongovernmental organizations, transnational sociology, sociological theory, social movements.

Contact

Office Location:

205

Website(s):
  1. Google Scholar