Elizabeth Chiarello, associate professor of sociology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was recently honored by both the American Sociological Association and the Institute for Advanced Study for her work at the intersection of patient care and criminal justice.
Chiarello is one of 21 scholars chosen for the IAS School of Social Science’s 2026-27 fellowship program. The annual program convenes scholars from across the social sciences and related disciplines, including anthropology, economics, history, law, political science and sociology, to pursue their research within a rich residential environment of intellectual discussion and exchange. This year’s theme is “Emerging Forces in Global Political Economy.”
Chiarello is a medical sociologist and socio-legal scholar who conducts research at the intersection of healthcare and law. Her research centers on how cultural forces such as law, politics and organizational policy influence healthcare decision-making and the criminal-legal system. Ultimately, she’s interested in how these forces affect professional practice and patient care.
Her project, “White Coat Crime,” will examine how providers of opioids, reproductive health, gender-affirming care and immigrant healthcare in four states contend with a risky legal environment and how law enforcement in those states pursue cases against providers. According to Chiarello, the findings will build novel theory about the blurring boundaries between criminal justice and medicine and the implications for patient care.
Also this summer, the American Sociological Association awarded Chiarello an honorable mention for her book, “Policing Patients: Treatment and Surveillance on the Frontlines of the Opioid Crisis” (Princeton University Press, 2024). The association’s Distinguished Scholarly Book award recognizes the best books in sociology over the previous two years.
