Doctoral Student

Jayla Gray-Thomas is a PhD student in Sociology at Rutgers University. Her research interests lie at the intersections of medical sociology, social inequality, and criminology. A central theme of her work is investigating how socially stratified access to resources and exposure to risks create and perpetuate health disparities. Her Master’s Paper examined the interface between biomedical and social medicine approaches in medical education, underscoring the importance of integrating social and biological science perspectives to effectively address social determinants of health. In parallel, Jayla explores the profound impacts of mass incarceration, particularly its effects on the health and well-being of family members of incarcerated individuals. Her research examines how these individuals cope and thrive by exploring the narratives of resilience emerging from these contexts. Jayla earned a Master of Arts in Applied Sociology and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Social Dimensions of Health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park.