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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Sociology professor receives 2 national awards

An IU sociology professor recently received two national awards because of major contributions in the field of sociology of mental health.

Jane McLeod is this year’s recipient of the Society for the Study of Social Problem’s James R. Greenley Award and the American Sociological Association’s Mental Health Section’s Leanard I. Pealin Award.

McLeod said she is flattered and embarrassed by the honors and said the awards have personal meaning for her.

“These awards are great honors that are named after two men that are outstanding figures in sociology and mental health, both of whom I know personally,” she said.

McLeod said other sociology faculty members nominated her for the awards.

Brian Powell, a fellow sociology professor, said the honors are well deserved.

“The department is very pleased with her recognition, but we’re not surprised,” Powell said in a release. “Jane is a major figure in sociology and in the subfield of sociology of mental health.”

McLeod said her research interests are in mental health, with a focus on children and various demographics.

“I’ve been interested in particular in mental health inequalities over the life course, with particular attention to socioeconomic status,” she said. “I’m also interested in how mental health problems sometimes have implications later in life.”

McLeod said she became interested in the area in graduate school when she realized sociologists do not do as much work with children as one might think.

“I thought there was room to add a sociological perspective on children as it relates to mental health,” she said. “I am interested in what happens to kids that have to deal with mental health issues.”

McLeod is also associate dean for social and historical sciences and for graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences, administrative positions that she said do not allow her to do too much research.

Still, she said she is starting two new research projects focused on inequalities and mental health.

“I’m starting one new project on inequalities in mental health based on education, occupation and race,” she said. “There are many things we don’t know on how mental health varies among those things.”

McLeod said her second project is about what happens to children who are referred to the welfare system.

“These are going to be many different kinds of children,” she said.

McLeod said she expects most of the children to come from lower income backgrounds, some to have suffered child abuse and some to have parents who are incarcerated.

“I’m interested in how those different combinations of problems affect their lives,” she said.

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