Q&A with Dr. Stuti Das, New CISS Postdoctoral Associate

I was first introduced to sociology during my Cambridge A-Levels (which would be the equivalent of the final years of high school in the U.S.), and I was immediately drawn to its ability to unpack the deeper, often less visible reasons behind persistent social inequalities. It offered frameworks to understand why certain systemic issues endure, and why individual-level interventions, while well-meaning, often fall short without broader structural change. Suddenly, I found a language not only for the things I had sensed but never managed to articulate, but also for the invisible currents we so often swim against without even knowing. That early exposure made a lasting impression—it helped me see the world differently, and from that point on, pursuing sociology felt like a natural progression. I went on to major in it during college, and my academic path has continued to build from that foundation. For me, social science matters because it is, at its heart, a confrontation—with history, with power, with the weight of structures, with the myths we often mistake for truth, and (as Joan Didion once wrote) with the very stories we tell ourselves in order to live. It pushes us beyond surface-level explanations and equips us to uncover the root causes of inequality in ways that can ultimately spark real and lasting change.

There are a few projects I could mention, but let me tell you about one I’m just wrapping up. It looks at how health care systems across 21 European countries shape immigrants’ access to care and their overall health, particularly in midlife and older age. We grouped these systems into five types—some very market-driven, others more public and affordable. What excites me most is that the study doesn’t just identify disparities; it shows which features of health systems can actually reduce them, because inequalities aren’t only about individual behavior or cultural differences—they are, to a large extent, about how systems are designed.

It was really a mix of personal experience and intellectual curiosity. As a first-generation immigrant to the U.S., I’ve experienced firsthand how navigating health systems in a new country can be confusing, intimidating, and extremely complicated. During my PhD coursework, I took classes in international migration and medical sociology, and I realized I could use the ideas I was learning not only to make sense of my own experience but also to examine broader patterns about the structural drivers of health inequality. What keeps me invested is the belief that this research can inform policy in ways that build more equitable systems, so that no matter where someone is born, they are supported by structures that meet their needs fairly and fully. After all, no society can call itself just if its systems of care remain unjust.

At its core, my research attempts to show that health disparities—whether between immigrants and the native-born or between the less and more privileged—are not simply the result of individual choices or cultural differences. They are produced by the systems and structures within which we live our lives. By examining how specific policies and institutional designs either close or widen these gaps, I hope my work can contribute to building systems where being an immigrant—or simply lacking structural privilege—does not mean being left out of care.

I’m so grateful to Debby Carr for opening this door. During my time at CISS, I plan to revisit my dissertation chapters and prepare them for publication, while also identifying pressing issues in population health that demand urgent attention and developing new research to address them. More broadly, my goal is to contribute to scholarship that can inform policy and advance a more equitable world for everyone.