In Conversation with Thomas Whalen

Dr. Cozier is an investigator on the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) and the BWHS Sarcoidosis Study at the Slone Epidemiology Center. Her research interests include social and genetic determinants of health in African-American women — specifically, the influence of psychosocial stressors (e.g., racism, neighborhood socioeconomic status), and genetics in the development of cancer, cardiometabolic, and immune-mediated diseases (sarcoidosis, lupus). Additional research interests include oral health, and the role that religiosity/spirituality and the faith community, particularly the black church, plays in health promotion/disease prevention in the Black community.

Dr. Thomas Whalen serves as Associate Professor of Social Sciences at BU College of General Studies specializing in topics surrounding 19th‑ and 20th‑century American social and political history, the Cold War, and modern foreign policy. A noted scholar of modern American politics and presidential leadership, his research also explores Boston history and the role of sports in American society. His commentary is frequently sought by major national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, Politico, and the BBC. In addition to his scholarship, he contributes regularly to Cognoscenti, the opinion platform of Boston’s NPR station, writing on politics, sports, and history. Dr. Whalen has also been recognized for his excellence in interdisciplinary teaching, receiving Boston University’s Peyton Richter Award in 2010.