Dr. Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins

Biography

Dr. Kyler James Sherman-Wilkins is Department Head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology at Missouri State University, where he also holds the rank of Associate Professor of Sociology. He is the Founder and Director of the Health Equity Research Collective (HERC), a research team that engages in research on the social determinants of health. A social demographer and life course sociologist by training, Dr. Sherman-Wilkins' research centers around the social and structural determinants of health and health inequities, particularly as it pertains to cognitive health, across the life course. His work has appeared in Ethnicity and Health, Health Equity, the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Geriatrics, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

He is a dedicated and award-winning teacher and adviser, having received Missouri State University’s highest honors for teaching and advising, respectively. In addition to his scholarship, Sherman-Wilkins is engaged in professional, university, and community service and sits on several boards/committees including Missouri State University's Pre-Med Committee and the Missouri Foundation for Health Board of Directors. He was recently elected to the Midwest Sociological Society's Board of Directors as Director for the State of Missouri, and serves as an Ambassador to Senator Josh Hawley’ Office on behalf of the Population Association of America.

Details

Education

• PhD, Sociology and Demography, 2017, The Pennsylvania State University
• MA, Sociology and Demography, 2015, The Pennsylvania State University
• BS, Human Development and Family Studies, 2011, Cornell University

Teaching

• SOC 150 Introduction to Society
• SOC 301 Research Methodology
• SOC 220 Statistics for Social Research
• GER 375/SOC 375 Social Forces and Aging
• SOC 450 Population, Society, and Public Policy
• SOC 480 Health Inequities Across the Life Course

Professional experience

Professional Affiliations

• Missouri Director, Board of Directors, Midwest Sociological Society (2026-Present)
• Ambassador, Population Association of America (2026-Present)
• Member and Chair, Distinguished Teaching Award Committee, American Sociological Association (2024-Present)
• Board of Directors, Missouri Foundation for Health (2022-Present)
• Member, Midwest Sociological Society (2019-Present)
• Member, Population Association of America (2012-Present)
• Member, American Sociological Association (2012-Present)
• Editorial Board, Journal of Health and Social Behavior (2023-2025)

Selected publications

• Farmer, Heather R., Amy D. Thierry, Marina Armendariz, Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins, and Roland Thorpe. 2024. "Exploring How Neighborhood Characteristics and Psychosocial Resilience Influence Cognitive Functioning among Older Black Adults." Ethnicity & Health.
• Adkins-Jackson, Paris B... Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins, et al. 2024. "Hang Ups, Let Downs, Bad Breaks, and Setbacks:' Impact of Structural Socioeconomic Racism and Resilience on Cognitive Change over Time for Persons Racialized as Black." Health Equity 8(1):254-268.
• Thierry, Amy D., Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins, Marina Armendariz, Allison Sullivan, and Heather R. Farmer. 2021. “Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive
• Functioning among Diverse Older Adults: An Intersectional Approach.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18:1-14.
• Sherman-Wilkins, Kyler J., and Amy D. Thierry. 2019. “Education as the Great Equalizer? Racial and Ethnic Differences in Returns of Education on Cognitive Functioning in Late Life.” Geriatrics 4(51):1-13.
• Alwin, Duane F., Jason R. Thomas, and Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins. 2018. “Race, Social Relations and the Life Course.” in Social Networks and the Life Course, edited by D. Alwin, D. Felmlee, and D. Kreager. New York, NY: Springer.
• Pudrvoska, Tetyana, Eric Reither, *Ellis Logan, and *Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins. 2014. “Gender and Reinforcing Association between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Body Mass over the Life Course.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 55(3):283-301.

Research and professional interests

• Social determinants of health and health inequities
• Adverse childhood experiences and cognitive functioning
• College student health and wellbeing
• Quantitative methods

Awards and honors

• Missouri State University Foundation Award for Excellence in Service, 2023
• W.E.B. DuBois Education Award, NAACP-Springfield, MO Chapter, 2022
• Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award, Institute for Citizens & Scholars 2021
• Missouri State University Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2021
• Curtis P. Lawrence Award for Excellence in Advising, Missouri State University, 2021
• Division of Student Affairs’ Bridge Builder Award, Missouri State University, 2019
• National Institute on Aging’s Butler-Williams Scholar, National Institutes of Health, 2019
• Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center Research Scholar, Rush University Hospital, 2019
• Science-Industry Research Collaborations Trainee, Stanford University, 2018
• International Travel Award, Missouri State University, 2017
• Diversity Scholar Award, Missouri State University, 2017

Additional resources

• Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise

Media Appearances