Hello!

 

I’m Jonathan Metzl, Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University and the Research Director of The Safe Tennessee Project, a non-partisan, volunteer-based organization concerned with gun-related injuries and fatalities in America and in Tennessee.

 

I am also a psychiatrist, sociologist and author of the newly released book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland (Basic Books, 2019).

​

The book explores the mortal tradeoffs that working class white Americans are asked to make in support of politics that claim to make white America “great again.”  I show how, in many instances, the actual policies involved in bringing about such “greatness” end up making working class white lives harder, sicker and shorter.

 

I’m grateful to have spent extensive time traveling across America’s Heartland to explore the impact that GOP policies on guns, tax cuts, education and healthcare has had on public health, and that my research and findings for this book have been well received. I’ve been honored to address these issues in the media, including recent appearances on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, C-SPAN, CNN, AM Joy, PBS’s Amanpour & Co, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as written opinion pieces for the New York Times, The Washington Post, Vice, Politico and others.

 

My research has given me a unique perspective on how hot button political issues affect people’s everyday lives, and what we can do to create a better society for everyone.  Topics I explore in depth include: healthcare reform, education policy, guns, politics, American race relations and diversity. It is my goal to share these perspectives with your audience through lectures, keynotes, diversity training, panel opportunities and general dialogue on how policy shapes and influences corporate culture.  As the 2020 election approaches, these topics remain at the forefront of the electorate’s consciousness; and, candid, workplace dialogue will be key to navigating the future of corporate responsibility.

 

I encourage you to take a look at my speaker’s reel, which showcases the opportunities I’ve had, both domestically and internationally, to address a broad range of groups, organizations and academic institutions as one of the few leading experts in this space. 

 

Should this be of interest to you, please do not hesitate to contact me or follow me on Twitter. 

 

I look forward to staying in touch and exploring opportunities together.

​

Sincerely,

Jonathan M. Metzl, MD, PhD,

Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health, and Society,

Director, Center for Medicine, Health, and Society,

Professor of Psychiatry,

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

jonathan.metzl@vanderbilt.edu

dyingofwhiteness.com

jonathanmetzl.com

@JonathanMetzl