Penn Professor Documents Gender Gap in Mortality Rate Due to Injuries

Susan B. Sorenson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, has conducted research showing that men are far more likely to die from injuries than women. The study, scheduled for publication in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health, examined national mortality data over the past three decades. She found that from 1981 to 2007, 2.9 million men died from injuries compared to 1.1 million women. Professor Sorenson’s data showed that gender gap in mortality rate due to injury existed regardless of race, ethnicity, or age.

Professor Sorenson is a graduate of Iowa State University. She holds a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She has served on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania since 2006. Previously she taught at UCLA.