Rebecca Matteo joined the Department of Sociology at Wake Forest as Adjunct Faculty in Spring 2007. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University, with a major in Sociology and Biological Anthropology and Anatomy. Her M.A. in Sociology was attained at Tulane University, with a focus in Community Health and Stratification. Rebecca is currently completing her Doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Rebecca’s research focuses, generally, on health policy. Her dissertation work concentrates on military health care, with a unique concentration on the link between Veteran’s services and transitions into and out of military service. Rebecca uses a life course approach to consider both health (physical and mental) and human capital (education, occupation, etc.) dimensions of military experience and transitions to civilian life after service. This work is also international in scope. Other research topics have included: health care needs of the elderly and poor, links between community resources and health care service availability, social networks among HIV positive mothers, and transmission patterns of sexually transmitted infections.

Rebecca’s teaching experience is concentrated in medical sociology, ranging from a macro focus on health care systems, to the micro experiences of individuals with illness. Courses include: Medicine and Society (Sociology of Health Care), Sociology of Health and Mental Illness, Gender and Health, and a writing seminar considering Health Care Reform. Rebecca also teaches introductory-level courses, including Social Problems and Principles of Sociology. Because of an increased interest and focus in systems of stratification in her research, Rebecca will be teaching Race and Ethnic Relations as well. Essentially, her belief is that “doing sociology” is an important experience for students, either as an introduction to the discipline, or related to a specific focus (such as health). Students are challenged to use history, context, and empirical underpinnings to develop their own understanding of social issues – within the sociological framework. She enjoys engaging students in “active” learning and discussion, as well as personal reflection, to help students “step outside of themselves” in understanding social realities.

Rebecca finds students to be an invaluable resource to her own development as a professional. Her current concentration in health care policy is not only a political “hot topic,” but also full of potential for the application of sociology, both in theory and practice.