Sophie Nathenson is a Medical Sociologist, professor, and consultant based in Portland, Oregon. She is the Director of the Master of Science in Allied Health program and the Bachelor’s of Science in at polytechnic university Oregon Tech. She is a coach and board member of the Ohio State University’s Innovation Fellowship program. She is also the owner of Widespread Wellness Consulting, providing career mentorship and education for individuals and groups working on promoting social, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.
What I do as an applied sociologist:
As an applied medical sociologist I develop programs that train students and professionals to apply a big picture perspective to issues that impact collective wellbeing. I train students in social research methods, program design, evaluation, and sustainability of health innovations that include programs, products, and businesses. I produce educational content in social determinants of mental and physical health to professions in psychology, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, and emergency medicine. I also coach high performing individuals in health-related fields on how to design and implement solutions to health issues and balance their work with their personal wellbeing.
Michèle Companion, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, is an applied sociologist. Michèle is a disaster specialist, working as a humanitarian aid response coordinator and specializing in food and livelihood security. She has served as a consultant for U.S. and international humanitarian aid organizations, using a sociological lens to engage in all phases of disaster risk reduction, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery work, along with policy development. Recent work with global Indigenous populations focuses on food security, food sovereignty, cultural survival, livelihood preservation, and access to traditional foods and medicines. She conducts training on blending Traditional Ecological Knowledge and site mapping techniques to empower communities, employing sociological concepts of mobilization, identify formation, and ethnographic methodologies. She is the President of the International Research Committee on Disasters, Secretary and Board Member of The Lowlander Center, and Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association, among other roles. She is the editor for the Indigenous Studies: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives series with Berghahn Books, which purposefully highlights the work of and with global Indigenous communities.
Sheffie Robinson
I define myself as a Clinical Sociologist specializing in the intersection of workforce and economic development, with a deep commitment to transforming individual outcomes by addressing the systemic and structural barriers that shape access to opportunity. My work is grounded in the principles of clinical sociology, which is not merely about observing or studying social issues, but about directly intervening in real-world situations to improve human well-being through therapeutic and transformative means.
Clinical sociology is the foundation of my professional practice. It guides how I design, implement, and scale interventions that support individuals in navigating complex educational and employment systems. Through my work, I focus on healing social disconnections caused by economic disenfranchisement, educational inequity, and structural exclusion. I created Shamrck, a workforce readiness platform, and Shamrck Pre-Professional Academy, a CTAE microschool initiative, as clinical tools—spaces where sociological insights become active mechanisms for individual empowerment and systemic change.
At Shamrck, we use data-driven guidance, career alignment tools, and personalized learning pathways to support young people in building the skills, confidence, and social capital needed to thrive in today’s economy. These platforms are not simply technological products—they are extensions of my clinical sociology practice, designed to restore agency, build resilience, and bridge the gap between potential and opportunity.
You can explore my work further at shamrck.com and shamrck.org, my practice at https://sheffierobinson.com, or connect with me professionally via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/sheffierobinson.