Program Manager

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Robert B. Peterson is a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. In addition to receiving the 2007 Ruth Barber Moon Award for Academic Excellence and Promise from Case Western Reserve University, in 2008, he received significant national attention for his research and professional contributions. He was selected as one of only four fellows from the American Sociological Association’s Minority Fellowship Program, which is a nationally prestigious training and mentoring program.

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Robert received his training as a medical sociologist with a focus on HIV and minority health and illness. In general, Robert’s scholarly research interests include issues of race, class, and gender, masculinities and men’s health, and the health outcomes and inequities among disenfranchised groups such as the poor, as well as racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities. His dissertation is highly innovative, poised at the nexus of several areas of sociological inquiry including social movements, stratification, and medical sociology.  His dissertation titled: “The Implications of HIV Framing on Testing and Disclosure: Examining the Roles and Responses of Community-Based Organizations” focuses on the attitudes and actions of decision makers on HIV/AIDS mobilization efforts and societal sentiment. This study examines the HIV service organizations, their networks, and programming to explore the macro-micro linkages in HIV related social construction and decision making.

 

With extensive fellowship support, Robert produced a sole-authored chapter titled: “When Secrets Hurt: HIV Disclosure and the Stress Paradigm” as part of the edited volume Black Sexualities: Probing Powers, Passions, Practices, and Policies edited by Juan Battle and Sandra L. Barnes and published by Rutgers University Press. Robert has continued working on completing a paper titled: “Developing Vaccines in Developing Countries: A Case Study Analysis of HIV Vaccine Trials in Africa” about HIV and the standard of care in clinical vaccine trials in less developed countries.

 

While finishing his dissertation, Robert currently serves as a part-time adjunct instructor in the department of sociology at Morehouse College and serves as the Program Manager of the Faces of Manhood Initiative. After completing the Ph.D. program, Robert plans to pursue a position at an academic research institution where he will conduct culturally sensitive research, engage in advocacy, and activism. He expects to use his medical sociological research skills to work with organizations including the World Health Organization; Center for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; or the Black AIDS Institute. Robert anticipates his career trajectory will be intricately tied to academia, the community, and policy-directed organizations.

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Contact Info:

Robert B. Peterson
Morehouse College
Program Manager
830 Westview Dr. S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30314
404-653-7906
rpeterson@morehouse.edu