Xan Nowakowski Ph.D.,M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Job Description
I conduct a variety of research, teaching, and service activities focused on healthy aging with complex chronic conditions. This includes serving as the evaluator for the Florida Asthma Program and the REACH Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, providing qualitative methods oversight for the ACTS 2 dementia caregiver support project, helping to build aging research partnerships with the COM and various community organizations in Central Florida, mentoring students from a variety of health disciplines who are building practice and inquiry skills in person-centered chronic disease management, and collaborating on a variety of projects that amplify the voices of health care providers and their patients.
Biosketch
I emphasize inquiry with and advocacy for populations often marginalized in health services, especially people who identify as queer and/or trans. To all of my work I bring the consciousness of both academic training in public health and medical sociology; and lived experience with cystic fibrosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Education
PhD, Medical Sociology, Florida State University, December 2013
MS, Medical Sociology, Florida State University, May 2013
MPH, Health Systems and Policy, Rutgers University, October 2009
BA, Political Science, Columbia University, May 2005
Service
Community Outreach
- Southern Equality Research Collaboratory (June 2023 - Present)
- FSU COM Wellness Committee (June 2023 - Present)
- Asthma Evaluation Community of Practice Advisory Group (February 2022 - Present)
- UCSF Emancipatory Sciences Lab (September 2021 - Present)
- FSU COM Disability Advocacy Series (August 2021 - Present)
- Florida Rare Action Network (January 2021 - Present)
- Mid-South Sociological Association Committee on the Profession (January 2021 - Present)
- FSU Students for a National Health Program (January 2021 - Present)
- Trans Inclusive Housing at FSU (October 2020 - Present)
- United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (October 2020 - Present)
- Intersectional CF Coalition (July 2020 - Present)
- Advocates for the National Organization of African Americans with Cystic Fibrosis (June 2020 - Present)
- CF Patients for #BlackLivesMatter (May 2020 - Present)
- The Salty Life Foundation (August 2019 - Present)
- Attain Health Foundation (June 2019 - December 2020)
- Cystic Fibrosis Reproductive and Sexual Health Collaborative (December 2018 - Present)
- Bithlo Transformation Effort Advisory Board (November 2017 - Present)
- FSU COM Council on Diversity and Inclusion (July 2017 - Present)
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (April 2017 - Present)
- Orange County Community Health Improvement Board (November 2016 - Present)
- Sociologists for Trans Justice (July 2016 - Present)
- Havana Health and Wellness (October 2010 - Present)
- Columbia Alumni Representative Committee (May 2005 - Present)
Editorial Boards
- Social Science and Medicine: Qualitative Research in Health (September 2021 – Present)
- Teaching Sociology (July 2021 – Present, active term begins January 2022)
- Quality of Life Research (August 2018 – Present)
- The Qualitative Report (October 2017 – Present)
- Inquiry (March 2017 – Present)
- People Living with And Inspired by Diabetes (PLAID) (October 2015 – Present)
- Sociological Spectrum (October 2015 – October 2018, journal has term limits)
Grant Review
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (April 2023 – Present)
- National Science Foundation (October 2016 – Present)
Professional Mentoring
- Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (January 2022 – Present)
- Sociologists for Women in Society – South (May 2021 – Present)
- FSU ProfessioNole Mentoring Program (December 2020 – Present)
- Attain Health Foundation (December 2020 – Present)
- Columbia Career Experience Alumni Mentoring Program (July 2020 – Present)
- Orange County Academy (October 2017 – Present)
- Columbia University Odyssey Mentoring Program (September 2017 – Present)
- VA Health System – Tampa Bay (July 2015 – Present)
- Columbia College Women (June 2013 – Present)
- University of Tampa (January 2013 – Present)
- Florida State University (August 2011 – Present)
- Florida A&M University (May 2011 – Present)
Peer review for 49 different interdisciplinary sociomedical journals
Founder and co-editor of Write Where It Hurts, a weblog on trauma informed scholarship
Honors/Awards
Honor Societies
- Alpha Kappa Delta Honorary Society in Sociology (Inducted, 2013)
- Delta Omega Honorary Society for Public Health (Inducted, 2009)
- Golden Key International Honor Society (Inducted, 2003)
Rowman & Littlefield
- Editor’s Choice pick for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
Choice Magazine
- “Essential” rating for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
- Outstanding Academic Title recognition for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Superstar Award – Virtual Events Category (Honored, 2019)
Bisexual Book Awards
- Other People’s Oysters (Finalist, 2019)
American Evaluation Association
- Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award (Nominated, 2016)
Tallahassee Democrat
- Volunteer of the Year Award – Health and Wellness Category (Finalist, 2016)
Florida State University
- Authors’ Day (Honored, 2020)
- Research Reception (Honored, 2019)
- Research Recognition Dinner (Honored, 2017)
Rutgers University / University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health (Inducted, 2009)
- Bernard D. Goldstein, MD Award (Awarded, 2009)
Columbia University
- Magna Cum Laude (Awarded, 2005)
- Departmental Honors in Political Science (Awarded, 2005)
- Government of Germany Prize for Language Study (Awarded, 2004)
- National Merit Scholarship (Awarded, 2001)
- John Jay Scholarship (Awarded, 2001)
Memberships
National
- Academy on Violence and Abuse
- American Evaluation Association
- American Geriatrics Society
- American Public Health Association
- American Sociological Association
- Gerontological Society of America
Regional
- Mid-South Sociological Association
- Southern Sociological Society
State
- BioFlorida
- Florida Asthma Coalition
- Florida Geriatrics Society
- Florida Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition
- Florida Health Equity Research Institute
- Florida Public Health Association
Courses
Doctoring 3
- Quality Improvement
Directed Individual Studies
- Sociomedical Research Methods
- Health Data Analysis
- Critical Academic Writing
Research Focus
Healthy aging with chronic disease. Experience, management, and development of chronic health conditions. Interdisciplinary research techniques and biopsychosocial elaboration models. Illness, identity, and embodied health. Cumulative inequality of health in care delivery settings and community built environments across the life course. Health-related quality of life and associated constructs, including pain, disability, and polytrauma.
Publications
I conduct a variety of research, teaching, and service activities focused on healthy aging with complex chronic conditions. This includes serving as the evaluator for the Florida Asthma Program and the REACH Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, providing qualitative methods oversight for the ACTS 2 dementia caregiver support project, helping to build aging research partnerships with the COM and various community organizations in Central Florida, mentoring students from a variety of health disciplines who are building practice and inquiry skills in person-centered chronic disease management, and collaborating on a variety of projects that amplify the voices of health care providers and their patients.
I emphasize inquiry with and advocacy for populations often marginalized in health services, especially people who identify as queer and/or trans. To all of my work I bring the consciousness of both academic training in public health and medical sociology; and lived experience with cystic fibrosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.
PhD, Medical Sociology, Florida State University, December 2013
MS, Medical Sociology, Florida State University, May 2013
MPH, Health Systems and Policy, Rutgers University, October 2009
BA, Political Science, Columbia University, May 2005
Community Outreach
- Southern Equality Research Collaboratory (June 2023 - Present)
- FSU COM Wellness Committee (June 2023 - Present)
- Asthma Evaluation Community of Practice Advisory Group (February 2022 - Present)
- UCSF Emancipatory Sciences Lab (September 2021 - Present)
- FSU COM Disability Advocacy Series (August 2021 - Present)
- Florida Rare Action Network (January 2021 - Present)
- Mid-South Sociological Association Committee on the Profession (January 2021 - Present)
- FSU Students for a National Health Program (January 2021 - Present)
- Trans Inclusive Housing at FSU (October 2020 - Present)
- United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (October 2020 - Present)
- Intersectional CF Coalition (July 2020 - Present)
- Advocates for the National Organization of African Americans with Cystic Fibrosis (June 2020 - Present)
- CF Patients for #BlackLivesMatter (May 2020 - Present)
- The Salty Life Foundation (August 2019 - Present)
- Attain Health Foundation (June 2019 - December 2020)
- Cystic Fibrosis Reproductive and Sexual Health Collaborative (December 2018 - Present)
- Bithlo Transformation Effort Advisory Board (November 2017 - Present)
- FSU COM Council on Diversity and Inclusion (July 2017 - Present)
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (April 2017 - Present)
- Orange County Community Health Improvement Board (November 2016 - Present)
- Sociologists for Trans Justice (July 2016 - Present)
- Havana Health and Wellness (October 2010 - Present)
- Columbia Alumni Representative Committee (May 2005 - Present)
Editorial Boards
- Social Science and Medicine: Qualitative Research in Health (September 2021 – Present)
- Teaching Sociology (July 2021 – Present, active term begins January 2022)
- Quality of Life Research (August 2018 – Present)
- The Qualitative Report (October 2017 – Present)
- Inquiry (March 2017 – Present)
- People Living with And Inspired by Diabetes (PLAID) (October 2015 – Present)
- Sociological Spectrum (October 2015 – October 2018, journal has term limits)
Grant Review
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (April 2023 – Present)
- National Science Foundation (October 2016 – Present)
Professional Mentoring
- Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (January 2022 – Present)
- Sociologists for Women in Society – South (May 2021 – Present)
- FSU ProfessioNole Mentoring Program (December 2020 – Present)
- Attain Health Foundation (December 2020 – Present)
- Columbia Career Experience Alumni Mentoring Program (July 2020 – Present)
- Orange County Academy (October 2017 – Present)
- Columbia University Odyssey Mentoring Program (September 2017 – Present)
- VA Health System – Tampa Bay (July 2015 – Present)
- Columbia College Women (June 2013 – Present)
- University of Tampa (January 2013 – Present)
- Florida State University (August 2011 – Present)
- Florida A&M University (May 2011 – Present)
Peer review for 49 different interdisciplinary sociomedical journals
Founder and co-editor of Write Where It Hurts, a weblog on trauma informed scholarship
Honor Societies
- Alpha Kappa Delta Honorary Society in Sociology (Inducted, 2013)
- Delta Omega Honorary Society for Public Health (Inducted, 2009)
- Golden Key International Honor Society (Inducted, 2003)
Rowman & Littlefield
- Editor’s Choice pick for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
Choice Magazine
- “Essential” rating for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
- Outstanding Academic Title recognition for Transformations in Queer, Trans, and Intersex Health and Aging (Awarded, 2021)
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Superstar Award – Virtual Events Category (Honored, 2019)
Bisexual Book Awards
- Other People’s Oysters (Finalist, 2019)
American Evaluation Association
- Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award (Nominated, 2016)
Tallahassee Democrat
- Volunteer of the Year Award – Health and Wellness Category (Finalist, 2016)
Florida State University
- Authors’ Day (Honored, 2020)
- Research Reception (Honored, 2019)
- Research Recognition Dinner (Honored, 2017)
Rutgers University / University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health (Inducted, 2009)
- Bernard D. Goldstein, MD Award (Awarded, 2009)
Columbia University
- Magna Cum Laude (Awarded, 2005)
- Departmental Honors in Political Science (Awarded, 2005)
- Government of Germany Prize for Language Study (Awarded, 2004)
- National Merit Scholarship (Awarded, 2001)
- John Jay Scholarship (Awarded, 2001)
National
- Academy on Violence and Abuse
- American Evaluation Association
- American Geriatrics Society
- American Public Health Association
- American Sociological Association
- Gerontological Society of America
Regional
- Mid-South Sociological Association
- Southern Sociological Society
State
- BioFlorida
- Florida Asthma Coalition
- Florida Geriatrics Society
- Florida Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition
- Florida Health Equity Research Institute
- Florida Public Health Association
Doctoring 3
- Quality Improvement
Directed Individual Studies
- Sociomedical Research Methods
- Health Data Analysis
- Critical Academic Writing
Healthy aging with chronic disease. Experience, management, and development of chronic health conditions. Interdisciplinary research techniques and biopsychosocial elaboration models. Illness, identity, and embodied health. Cumulative inequality of health in care delivery settings and community built environments across the life course. Health-related quality of life and associated constructs, including pain, disability, and polytrauma.