Allen Leblanc

Biography

Dr. Allen J. LeBlanc is Health Equity Institute (HEI) Professor of Sociology. Prior to joining the faculty at SF State, he was a Senior Research Associate at MDRC, one of the nation's leading social policy research organizations. LeBlanc earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from The Pennsylvania State University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Los Angeles, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. He later held faculty positions at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of California, San Francisco. His work focuses on societal and individual responses to chronic illness and disability; the social etiology of stress and health; and government programs relating to disability and health care for low-income Americans. Currently his work focuses on extending existing theories of how stress affects health in three ways: (1) simultaneously studying multiple domains of stress (e.g., examining both role- and identity-based stressors); (2) more fully assessing the relational contexts of stress experience (e.g., focusing on how stress is shared between persons in intimate relationships); and (3) examining stress experiences as they vary across the life course (e.g., studying stress and resilience as people move through critical developmental trajectories). Moreover, he focuses on minority stressors – those uniquely experienced by stigmatized or marginalized populations – in order to develop better understandings of persistent health disparities. LeBlanc’s funded research currently includes two projects. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) on Project SHARe: A Study of Minority Stress and Mental Health Among Same-Sex Couples, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. In addition he is a Co-Investigator on Project AFFIRIM: Identity Development, Risk and Resilience among Gender Diverse Populations, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (P.I., Walter Bockting, Columbia University). LeBlanc’s work has been widely published. His most recent publications include articles in Journal of Marriage and Family and American Journal of Public Health. He is currently an associate editor at Journal of Health and Social Behavior and Society and Mental Health.

Research Interest

Social Etiology of Stress Health Management of Chronic Illness and Disability Health and Disability Policy Program Evaluation Survey Development