Haowei Wang

• 2025 Fall
  • SOC 400 Selected Topics - Global Perspectives on Health
  • SOC 513 Statistics for Social Science
• 2025 Spring
  • SOC 318 Introduction to Research
• 2024 Fall
  • SOC 318 Introduction to Research
  • SOC 513 Statistics for Social Science
• 2024 Spring
  • SOC 318 Introduction to Research
  • SOC 400 Selected Topics - Global Perspectives on Populat

Haowei Wang is an assistant professor in the Maxwell School's Sociology Department. She received a Ph.D. in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2020 and was trained as a postdoc scholar at the Population Research Institute at the Pennsylvania State University. 

Wang seeks to understand social determinants of healthy aging from a global perspective. In doing so, she is engaged in three areas of research: (1) to explore how demographic changes and social policies impact physical and mental health of aging populations, (2) to examine population aging and food insecurity in a global setting, and (3) to test how changing family dynamics influence well-being and caregiving in later life.

In addition, Wang currently has over 10 first-author articles published in highly regarded journals as well as a strong pipeline of projects in progress.

"Grant Writers Mentoring Program", Sponsored by Center for Aging and Policy Studies.

"Innovative Perspectives to Advance ADRD Multidisciplinary Research Travel Award", Sponsored by NIH Research Centers Collaborative Network.

"Dean’s Office Student Success (DOSS) Travel Grant", Sponsored by University of Massachusetts Boston McCormack Graduate School.

"Scholarly Support Fund", Sponsored by University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Employee Organization.

"Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship", Sponsored by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

• Journal Articles
  • Margolis, R., Sheftel, M., Wang, H., Chandler, R., Newmyer, L. and Verdery, A., "Older Adults’ Descendants and Family Networks in the Context of Global Educational Expansion." Population and Development Review 50th anniversary supplement, 2024.
  • Yan, X., Han, F., Wang, H., Li, Z., Kawachi, I. and Li, X. (Primary Investigator), "Years of life lost due to insufficient sleep and associated economic burden in China from 2010–18." Journal of Global Health, 2024.
  • Wang, H., Verdery, A. M. and Margolis, R., "Sibling availability, sibling sorting, and subjective health among Chinese adults." Demography, 2024.
  • Oyeyemi, D., Lin, I. F., Wang, H., Gan, D., Brown, M. J., Freedman, V. A. and Manning, M., "Change in assistance networks of Black and White older adults during COVID-19." In Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. , 2023.
  • Wang, H., El-Abbadi, N., "Food Insecurity, Race and Ethnicity, and Cognitive Function Among United States Older Adults." The Journal of Nutrition, 2023.
  • Xu, S., Wang, H., Song, Q. and Burr, J. A., "Sensory impairment and depressive symptoms among older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic." In Journal of Aging & Mental Health. , 2023.
  • Brown, M. J., Wang, H., Lin, I. F., Gan, D., Oyeyemi, D., Manning, M. and Freedman, V. A., "COVID-19 related changes in assistance networks for older adults with and without dementia." The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2023.
  • Smith-Greenaway, E., Verdery, A. M., Wang, H. and Bauldry, S., 1 in 8 U.S. deaths from 2020 to 2021 came from COVID-19 – leaving millions of relatives reeling from distinctly difficult grief. , 2022.
  • Wang, H., Han, S. ., Kim, K. and Burr, J. A., "Adult children's achievements and ageing parents' depressive symptoms in China." Ageing and Society, 2022.
  • Song, Q., Wang, H. and Burr, J. A., "Depressive Symptoms Among Rural "Left-Behind" Older Adults: A Test of the High Outmigration Penalty Hypothesis." Cong, Z. (ed.) The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2022.
  • Wang, H., Kim, K., Burr, J. A. and Fingerman, K. L., "Financial problems in established adulthood: Implications for psychological well-being and relationship quality with parents." Journal of Adult Development, 2022.
  • Newmyer, L., Verdery, A. M., Wang, H. and Margolis, R., "Population aging, demographic metabolism, and the rising tide of late middle age to older adult loneliness around the world." Population and Development Review, 2022.
  • Wang, H., Smith-Greenaway, E., Bauldry, S., Margolis, R. and Verdery, A. M., "Mourning in a pandemic: The differential impact of widowhood on mental health during COVID-19." The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2022.
  • Wang, H., Kim, K., Burr, J. A., Birditt, K. S. and Fingerman, K. L., "Adult children's daily experience with parental advice: The importance of life problems and relationship quality." The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2021.
  • Wang, H., Verdery, A. M., Margolis, R. and Smith-Greenaway, E., "Bereavement from COVID-19, gender, and reports of depression among older adults in Europe." The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2021.
  • Wang, H., Stokes, J. E. and Burr, J. A., "Depression and inflammation after the 2003 SARS epidemic among Chinese older adults." The Gerontologist, 2021.
• Book Chapter
  • Wang, H., Han, S., Xu, P., Mutchler, J. E., Du, P. and Burr, J. A., "Family, friendship, and loneliness among older Chinese adults: Urban-Rural Comparisons." In Aging Families in Chinese Society. Silverstein, M. D. (ed.) Routledge, 2021.
• Magazine/Trade Publication
  • Newmyer, L., Verdery, A. M., Wang, H. and Margolis, R., "Older adult loneliness on the rise around the world." N-IUSSP, 2023.

Wang, H., Garcia, C., Zhang, Y., Kim, J., Garcia, M. A., 2026 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, Population Association of America (PAA), "Beyond Aggregated Health Advantage: Disability Heterogeneity Across Asian American Older Adult Populations" (May, 2026)

Ryan-Claytor, C., Smith-Greenaway, E., Verdery, A., Wang, H., Patterson, S., 2026 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, Population Association of America (PAA) , "Spousal Bereavement and Trajectories of Subjective Age and Subjective Life Expectancy" (May, 2026)

Bieseti, E., Wang, H., 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Impacts of Divorce and Widowhood on Depressive Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (November, 2025)

Pei, Y., Wang, H., 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Perceived Healthcare Discrimination and Barriers to Care for Older Adults Living with Traumatic Brain Injury" (November, 2025)

Wang, H., Pei, Y., 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Where You Live Matters: Neighborhood Environment and Dementia Risks among U.S. Older Adults" (November, 2025)

2025 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "Parental Dementia and Mental Health Trajectories of Black and White Adult Children" (April, 2025)

Yan, X., Han, F., Wang, H., Li, Z., Kawachi, I., Li, X., SLEEP 2024 conference, "Years of Life Lost Due to Insufficient Sleep and Associated Economic Burden in China from 2010 to 2018" (June, 2024)

2024 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "The Experience of Child Death Across the Life Course and Implications for Older Parents’ Psychological Well-being in China" (April, 2024)

Wang, H., Xu, S., Pei, Y., 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America, "Childhood Speech Impairment and the Enduring Impacts on Cognitive Function among US Older Adults" (2024)

Margolis, R., Sheftel, M., Wang, H., Chandler, R., Newymer, L., Verdery, A., 2024 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "Destinies Diverged: Older Adults’ Descendants and Family Networks in the Context of Global Educational Expansion" (2024)

Xu, S., Wang, H., 2024 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, " Onset Age of Visual Difficulty and Mental Health Among Chinese Older Adults" (2024)

Xu, S., Wang, H., 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America , "Visual Difficulty and Valued Activity Among Older Adults: Findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study" (2024)

2023 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "Food Insecurity and Cognitive Health Among U.S. Older Adults" (April, 2023)

Wang, H., Smith-Greenaway, E., Bauldry, S., Margolis, R., Verdery, A., 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "COVID-19 Widowhood or Pandemic Widowhood: Examining the Differential Implications for Mental Health" (November, 2022)

Wang, H., Margolis, R., Verdery, A. M., 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Left Out to Dry: Unmet Needs and Risk of Depression" (November, 2022)

Wang, H., Margolis, R., Verdery, A. M., NHATS/NSOC Dementia Care Conference, "A Difference-in-Difference Analysis of Unmet Needs and Health Conditions Among U.S. Older Adults: The Impact of COVID-19" (May, 2022)

Oyeyemi, . M., Lin, I. F., Wang, H., Gan, D., Brown, M. J., Freedman, V. A., Manning, M., American Geriatric Society (AGS) 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, "Change in Late-Life Assistance Networks for Black and White Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic" (May, 2022)

Xu, S., Wang, H., Song, Q., Burr, J. A., 2022 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "Sensory Impairment, Social Contact, and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (May, 2022)

Wang, H., Smith-Greenaway, E., Bauldry, S., Margolis, R., Verdery, A. M., 2022 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "A Difference-in-Difference Analysis of COVID-19 Widowhood and Mental Health" (April, 2022)

Yang, M. S., Wang, H., Choi, Y. K., 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Barriers that Contribute to Digital Divide among Older Community Dwelling Adults in Later Life" (November, 2021)

Wang, H., Verdery, A. M., Margolis, R., Smith-Greenaway, E., 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "Crossnational Analysis of Bereavement from COVID-19 and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults in Europe" (November, 2021)

Wang, H., Kim, K., Burr, J. A., Fingerman, K. L., 2021 National Council of Family Relations (NCFR) Annual Conference, "Financial Problems in Established Adulthood: Implications for Psychological Well-Being and Relationship Quality With Parents" (November, 2021)

Yang, M. S., Wang, H., Choi, Y. ., 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society of America (GSA), "The Association Between the Use of Digital Health Management Tools and Subjective Well-being among Older Adults" (November, 2021)

Yang, M. S., Wang, H., Choi, Y. K., 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo, "The Association Between Technology Use and Chronic Health Conditions among Older Adults" (October, 2021)

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, "Sibling Availability and Adult Subjective Well-Being: The Demographic Consequences of China’s One-Child Policy" (September, 2021)

Wang, H., Verdery, A. M., Margolis, R., 2021 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting, "The Smaller The Better? Emerging Family Structure and The Well-Being among Chinese Adults" (May, 2021)

Yang Ni and Xiaoqing Li Scholar in U.S.-China/Asia Relations, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (July, 2025)

Association of Population Centers (APC) Fellow, Association of Population Centers (June, 2025)

Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Conference Poster Award, Population Association of America (April, 2024)

University of Massachusetts Boston Department Gerontology Book Award (Best Graduate Dissertation) (May, 2020)

University of Massachusetts Boston McCormack Graduate School Department of Gerontology Service Award (2018 - 2019)