William Cockerham

William Carl Cockerham (born March 31, 1939) is an American sociologist recognized for his contributions to medical sociology and sociological theory. He is currently a Research Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds emeritus status at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he served as Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology. He is noted for developing health lifestyle theory.

Early life and education Cockerham earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1971, specializing in sociology, psychology, and education. He also received a Master of Journalism from Berkeley in 1968 and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Oklahoma in 1962.

Academic career Cockerham began his academic career at the University of Wyoming and later joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he held joint appointments in sociology, psychiatry, and medicine. In 1991, he joined UAB, where he remained for over two decades in various leadership roles. These included Chair of the Department of Sociology, Interim Chair of the Department of Social Work, and Senior Scientist at UAB’s Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center in the Division of preventive medicine.

He also held visiting appointments at universities in Austria, Germany, and Scotland. From 2018 to 2023, he was a Research Scholar at the College of William & Mary before taking up his current position at the University of Maryland.

Research and publications Cockerham’s sociological research focuses on health lifestyle, health disparities, social determinants of health, mental illness, and international public health. He has conducted comparative studies across the United States, Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Asia.

He is the author or editor of more than 30 books and hundreds of scholarly articles. His widely adopted textbook Medical Sociology has been translated into several languages and is considered foundational in the field.

Honors and recognition Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction (UAB, 2004) UAB President’s Award for Extraordinary Professional Achievement (1995) Designation as Distinguished Professor of Sociology by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees (2005) Fulbright Fellowship in Germany (1985)

Selected works