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Background

Dr. Will R. McConnell an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at ����ý. He earned his PhD in Sociology at Indiana University where he also obtained an MS in Applied Statistics. Dr. McConnell’s areas of expertise include social networks, aging, caregiving, mental health, culture, and quantitative methods.

Much of Dr. McConnell’s research examines the dynamic relationship between social networks and chronic illness management, particularly in the contexts of aging, disability, and mental health care. He also conducts research related to caregiving, the intersection of cultural beliefs and health care, and the contemporary medical profession. His research is highly interdisciplinary, often involving collaborations with health care providers, care facilities for older adults, and colleagues in Nursing, Health Administration, Psychiatry, and other fields. Dr. McConnell also works extensively with community organizations, including through research partnerships and through community-based dissemination of research results.

More information about Dr. McConnell’s research, teaching, and other activities is available on his website . He has been a member of the ����ý I-HEALTH Human Health and Dementia Research Focus Group as well as the ����ý Biostatistics Collaborative Core.

Awards & Grants

NIH R21AG083184, PI, 9/2023-8/2025
“Network Analysis of Family Caregiving for People Living with Dementia: A Survey of Caregiver Networks in Clinical and Community Settings.”

NIH R01AG057739, Subaward PI, 8/2023-5/2024
“Leveraging Neuroimaging Biomarkers to Understand the Role of Social Networks in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Selected Works

Gallan, Andrew S., Anu Helkkula, & William R. McConnell. 2024. "Why did this happen to me? Causal attributions of illness and cultural health capital." Social Science & Medicine, 350: 116923.

Perry, Brea L., William R. McConnell, Max E. Coleman, Adam R. Roth, Siyun Peng, & Liana G. Apostolova. 2022. "Why the cognitive “fountain of youth” may be upstream: Pathways to dementia risk and resilience through social connectedness." Alzheimer's & Dementia, 18(5), 934-941. ��

Perry, Brea L., William R. McConnell, Siyun Peng, Adam R. Roth, Max Coleman, Mohit Manchella, Meghann Roessler, Heather Francis, Hope Sheean, & Liana A. Apostolova. 2022. “Social Networks and Cognitive Function: An Evaluation of Social Bridging and Bonding Mechanisms.” The Gerontologist, 62(6), 865-875.

Feyereisen, Scott, William R. McConnell, Clayton Thomas, & Neeraj Puro. 2021. “Physician dominance in the 21st century: Examining the rise of non-physician autonomy through prevailing theoretical lenses.” Sociology of Health & Illness, 43(8), 1867-1886. �� �� �� ��

McConnell, William R., & Emma D. Cohen. 2019. “Fear of fraudulence: graduate school program environments and the impostor phenomenon.” The Sociological Quarterly, 60(3), 457-478.

McConnell, William R. 2017. “Cultural guides, cultural critics: Distrust of doctors and social support during mental health treatment.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 54(4), 503-519.

McConnell, William R., & Brea L. Perry. 2016. “The revolving door: Patient needs and network turnover during mental health treatment,” in Brea L. Perry (ed.), 50 Years after Deinstitutionalization: Mental Illness in Contemporary Communities (Advances in Medical Sociology, 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 119-145.