Graduate Student Profile: Michael Topping

Name: Michael Topping, Graduate Student in Sociology

Hometown: Burlington, Wisconsin

Educational Background: B.S. in Social Work & B.A. in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; M.A. in Sociology, University of Memphis

1. How did you first connect to your field of research?

Looking back, I grew curious about health, aging, and the life course through much of the time I spent with my grandmother when she was in her older years. She would tell me stories about her life – how she grew up during the Great Depression in an area hit hard by the Dust Bowl, which caused her farmer parents to move to Wisconsin and start over. I always would ask if her decisions about her health and finances were informed by this. They were! She literally learned sewing not just as a hobby but as a way to save money on clothes. She also would introduce me to a lot of her friends from high school and I would always ask them about events that happened earlier in life and how that influenced outcomes across their life courses. I also became more curious about cognition over time because I famously have a memory that’s on par with Dory from Finding Nemo – so I have a certain interest in wondering if I am doomed in later life, or if I am perhaps just an outlier (and I hope every day that it is the latter).

2. What attracted you to UW-Madison & CDHA?

Since I was twelve or so, I really wanted to go to UW-Madison for my undergraduate years. However, the cost at the time prevented me from being able to attend. It wasn’t an option for me until I started thinking about doing a Ph.D. – I knew I needed to likely go to an institution with a great population center, so the fact that the university I wanted to attend years prior had one – and it was in my home state, really helped the decision for me.

3. What are your research interests and current research projects?

Broadly, my interests are in health disparities, mortality, the life course, and social stratification. All of these areas tend to be quite broad – so I often think of many broad ideas. One project I am currently pursuing looks at the socioeconomic status of people from the very beginning of their lives through old age to look at how different socioeconomic trajectories shape cognition in old age. Another project I am working on now looks at how different dimensions of your high school background (academics, activities, and socioeconomic characteristics) represent unique typologies of students, which in turn provide students with greater levels of risk or resilience for their cognitive health later in life. I also have other projects that focus on place-based disparities in life expectancy across the United States overtime.

4. In what ways has CDHA impacted your graduate career? Are there any notable experiences with CDHA you will take away with you in future academic and professional endeavors?

I really have enjoyed the demography training I received here, it has really helped me think about how I ask questions and how to go about answering them. Another way it has impacted my graduate career is that I have had a privilege of meeting many senior scholars through Dem Sem. That’s special because its one thing to read the work of certain scholars – it’s a whole different experience being able to meet and connect with them, too.

5. How does your work relate to the Wisconsin Idea?

Wisconsin native, I hope that it does and/or will continue to do so! Doing research that links early life exposures with later life health means that there is factually a critical window of time that policymakers, community organizations, and other actors can target to potentially offset inequality in later life. More than professional institutions and actors, communicating this knowledge to the general public is of paramount concern, too. If the average person understands more about what goes into generating potential health issues later on in life – they have the knowledge to try and mitigate that. I hope that as I grow as a scholar that I am able to reach a bigger audience both academically and publicly so that everyone can take in the information and digest it.

6. What’s one thing you hope people who are exposed to your research will come away with?

I personally hope that more people realize what many of us already know – things that happen to us earlier in life matter for so many outcomes in later life, but especially your health. Also, where these events happen are important too, because two people can have the “same” experience, just in different places, and it have profoundly different impacts on outcomes.

7. What future plans and aspirations do you have once you have completed your time at UW-Madison?

I *hope* that once my time at UW-Madison wraps up that I will be able to continue doing research on aging and health disparities, preferably as a tenure-track faculty position, but we will see what the future holds!

8. What are some hobbies and interests that occupy your time outside of your academic work?

I really love to travel – to new places and old. In fact – one of my favorite things to do when I am not actively traveling is looking up flights to random cities to dream about new travel destinations! Aside from travel or imagining travel, I really enjoy going on walks – be it around Madison or in nature, there’s something very soothing about it. Other than this, when time allows I love to spend time with my nieces and nephews – they are so inquisitive and often ask me about things I never think about (like why I am still in school if I am supposedly so smart? – obviously an 8 year old might not capture the complexity of doing a Ph.D., yet!).