Caitlin Leeann Clarke

My work encompasses a broad range of interdisciplinary work within the Sociology of Health. I was trained in Anthropology for my BA and in cultural studies and sport sociology for my Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Community Health at UIUC. As a result, I strive for highly interdisciplinary and collaborative research efforts aimed at health sciences and physical culture.

My primary research agenda is focused on the use of exercise interventions as a solution for health issues such as depression and anxiety. I am concerned with how exercise science researchers conceptualize their research participants, the diseases in question, exercise, and the relationship between the disease and exercise. I am interested in the production of knowledge in this area and how it impacts social perceptions of people with mental illness, particularly in relation to the perception of mental illness as an economic burden and the promotion of individualized self-care.

Using my background in sport sociology in combination with my interest in health, I have collaborated frequently on topics related to health and physical activity including college athletics contexts.

Many of my collaborations extend from interests in mental health, social determinants of health, and the production of health related knowledge.