Harvey L. Nicholson Jr.

I am currently an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at Hofstra University and will also serve as a status-only Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, SGC, beginning in July 2025. 

As an interdisciplinary sociologist specializing in medical sociology, substance use, and race, my research addresses multiple issues. In one stream of my work, I examine how social factors, such as socioeconomic status and discrimination, shape health outcomes, substance use, and psychological well-being among Black Americans and Asian Americans. I also explore how identity-based factors influence mental health outcomes among Black Americans. In a second stream, I study predictors of intergroup relations between Asian and Black Americans, focusing on the factors that promote or inhibit positive intergroup relations. I also examine factors linked to group consciousness in these populations, as well as the racialization of Asian Americans. In a third stream, I investigate how social and health factors contribute to prescription opioid misuse and other substance use behaviors among Black Americans and general adult populations. In this line of work, I pay attention to disparities related to gender, ethnicity, place, and socioeconomic status.

I have published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles in well-known disciplinary and interdisciplinary outlets. For instance, my work has appeared in Social Problems, Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, Sociology Compass,  Socius, Race and Social Problems, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Addictive Behaviors, Preventive Medicine, and International Journal of Social Psychiatry. I currently serve on the editorial boards of Society and Mental Health and Sociological Spectrum, and I have served as a peer reviewer for several highly regarded journals, including American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Asian Journal of Criminology, Addictive Behaviors, and Population Research and Policy Review.

I have significant experience teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, developing and instructing courses such as Medical Sociology, Race and Ethnicity, Substance Use in the U.S., and Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the U.S. and Canada.

I am currently working on a number of projects. For example, I am examining the role of racial identity salience in shaping mental health outcomes among Black Americans. I am also working with a team of researchers to examine the influence of individual and structural factors on intergroup attitudes between Asian and Black Americans. You may learn more about our recent work by reading our recently published article in Social Problems. 

I am always interested in connecting with scholars, departments, and organizations whose research interests align with my own.