The Medical Sociology Section Homepage
The American Sociological Association
 
 
The Medical Sociology Section, one of the ASA's largest sections, brings together social and behavioral scientists from a variety of backgrounds who share an interest in the social contexts of health, illness, and health care. Central topics include the subjective experience of health and illness; political, economic, and environmental circumstances that threaten health; and societal forces that impact on the medical care system and on people's responses to illness. Drawing from many perspectives, the field of medical sociology is concerned with basic sociological research and its implications for public policy and practice.
The 1995 Special Issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, "Forty Years of Medical Sociology: The State of the Art and Directions for the Future," stems from the Medical Sociology Section's 1994 coordinated sessions at the ASA. It provides an excellent overview of the key issues that medical sociology deals with.
 
Medical sociologists work in a large variety of settings: academic teaching, academic research, government planning and regulatory agencies, government research, hospital and health institution policy and research, and citizen advocacy.
 
For more information about the Med Soc Section, contact the Section Chair: Janet Hankin