Faculty

I currently teach death, dying and bereavement and the sociology of healthcare. In the past, I have also taught a variety of different courses including the sociology of reproduction, demography and inequality.

My current research focuses on disability, adolescent reproductive health, and ethnic and racial differences in healthcare. I am especially interested in understanding the ways in which physical and social factors influence health and well-being.

Over the years, I have also examined ethnic differences in family planning use in Israel, the economic status of Jews, and Jewish identity in the United States.

You may contact me by e-mail (Elsabellewilder@aol.com) or phone (718-960-1128).

Publications:

Books

• Wilder, Esther Isabelle. 2006. Wheeling and Dealing: The Reconstruction of Identity in the Aftermath of Spinal Cord Injury. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. (Forthcoming.)
• Wilder, Esther Isabelle and William H. Walters. 2005. The Needs and Rights of Individuals with Disabilities: Voices from the Heartland. Brookline, MA: Brookline Books.

Refereed Articles

• Hope, Trina L., Esther I. Wilder, and Toni Terling Watt. 2003. "The Relationships Among Adolescent Pregnancy, Pregnancy Resolution and Juvenile Delinquency." The Sociological Quarterly 44, 4: 555-576.
• Walters, William H., and Esther I. Wilder. 2003. "Bibliographic Index Coverage of a Multidisciplinary Field." Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology54, 14: 1305-1312.
• Walters, William H., and Esther I. Wilder. 2003. "Disciplinary Perspectives on Later-Life Migration in the Core Journals of Social Gerontology." The Gerontologist. 43, 5: 758-760.
• Wilder, Esther I., and Toni Terling Watt. 2002. "Risky Parental Behavior and Adolescent Sexual Behavior at First Coitus." The Milbank Quarterly80, 3: 481-524.
• Wilder, Esther I. 2000. "The Contraceptive Revolution in Israel: Changing Family Planning Practices among Ethno-Immigrant Groups." Social Science Research 29, 1: 70-91.
• Wilder, Esther I. 2000. "Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants of Abortion among Jewish Women in Israel." European Journal of Population 16, 2: 133-162.
• Wilder, Esther I. 2000. "Contraceptive Use at First Intercourse among Jewish Women in Israel." Population Research and Policy Review 19, 2: 113-141.
• Wilder, Esther I., and William H. Walters. 1998. "Ethnic and Religious Components of the Jewish Income Advantage, 1969 and 1989." Sociological Inquiry 68, 3: 426-436.
• Walters, William H., and Esther I. Wilder. 1997. "American Jewish Household Income, 1969 and 1989." Journal of Economic and Social Measurement 23, 2: 197-212.
• Wilder, Esther I. 1996. "Socioeconomic Attainment and Expressions of Jewish Identification: 1970 and 1990." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 35, 2: 109-127.

Book Reviews

• Wilder, Esther I. 2004. Review of Running After Pills: Politics, Gender, and Contraception in Colonial Zimbabwe, by Amy Kaler. American Journal of Sociology 110(3): 822-823.
• Wilder, Esther I. 2000. Review of Gendering Politics: Women in Israel, by Hanna Herzog. Gender and Society 14, 5: 701-702.
• Wilder, Esther I. 1992. Review of Smart Jews, by Sander Gilman. Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences 27, 2: 104.

Research Grants:

External Funding

• Principal Investigator. (with Dr. Kofi Benefo, co-PI, Dr. Elhum Haghighat, co-PI, and Dr. Elin Waring, co-PI). "Integrating Data Analysis Into the Curriculum: Bridging the Quantitative Literacy Gap of Undergraduate Students in the Social Sciences." National Science Foundation (NSF). 2004-2006. ($175,000).
• Principal Investigator. "The Needs and Rights of Individuals with Disabilities." The Oklahoma Office of Handicapped Concerns (OHC). 2001-2002. ($24,000).

Internal Funding

• Principal Investigator. "Wheeling and Dealing: The Reconstruction of Identity in the Aftermath of Spinal Cord Injury." George N. Shuster Fellowship, Lehman College. 2005-2006. ($2,250).
• Principal Investigator. "Health Status, Risky Behavior, and Academic Achievement at a Minority-Serving Institution . Peoples' Staff Congress-The City University of New York (PSC-CUNY). 2005-2006. ($3,840).
• Principal Investigator. "Individuals with Disabilities Voices Their Concerns: Voices from the Heartland and Social Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury." Peoples' Staff Congress-The City University of New York (PSC-CUNY). 2004-2005. ($4,140).
• Principal Investigator. "Social Adjustment among Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury." George N. Shuster Fellowship, Lehman College. 2003-2004. ($1,300).
• Principal Investigator. "The Social Experience of Spinal Cord Injury." PSC-CUNY. 2003-2004. ($4,840).
• Principal Investigator. (with Jeffrey Henderson, undergraduate student, co-PI). "Social Adjustment among Students with Disabilities." The University of Oklahoma. 2001-2002. ($1,000).
• Principal Investigator. "Responses to Disaster." The University of Oklahoma, Junior Fellowship Award. 2000. ($6,000).
• Principal Investigator. "The Social Concerns of Students with Disabilities." The University of Oklahoma. 2000-2001. ($1,000).
• Principal Investigator. "An Analytic Framework for Understanding Racism." Wellesley College. 1998-1999. ($2,450).
• Principal Investigator. "Abortion and Contraceptive Use among Jewish Women in Israel." Population Studies and Training Center, Brown University. 1994. ($1,600).