Richard Miech, Ph.D.

Department Chair, UC Denver, Health and Behavioral Sciences

Research Interests

social inequality and health, with special emphasis on illegal drug use and addiction;
the social processes that lead to the initiation of health disparities across socioeconomic strata and race/ethnicity

Courses Taught

Research Design
Applications in HBSC
Colloquium in HBSC

Education

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; B.A., Sociology
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; M.A., Sociology
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; Ph.D., Sociology
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; M.P.H., Public Health

Selected Publications

Refereed Publications, Invited Chapters, and Other Contributions

Miech, Richard A., Jinyoung Kim, Carrie McConnell, and Richard Hamman. 2009. "A Growing Disparity in Diabetes-Related Mortality: U.S. Trends 1989-2005." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, forthcoming in February.

Kim, Jinyoung, and Richard A. Miech. 2009. "The Black-White Difference in Age Trajectories of Functional Health over the Life Course." Social Science and Medicine, forthcoming.

Sutin, Angelina R., Paul T. Costa, Jr., Richard Miech, and William W. Eaton. 2009. "Personality and Career Success: Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations." European Journal of Personality, forthcoming.

Miech, Richard A. 2008. "The Formation of a Socioeconomic Health Disparity: The Case of Cocaine Use During the 1980s and 1990s." Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 49(3): 352-366

Miech, Richard A., Melissa Azur, Tracy Patterson, Keri Jowers, Amy B. Goldstein, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Christine Walrath, and Phillip J. Leaf. 2008. “The Potential to Reduce Mental Health Disparities through the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program.” Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 35(3):253-64

Link, Bruce G., Jo C. Phelan, Richard Miech, and Emily Leckman. 2008. "The Resources that Matter: Fundamental Social Causes of Health Disparities and the Challenge of Intelligence." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 49:72-91.

Lin, Frank, Kristin Ceh, Deborah Bervinchak, Anne Riley, Richard Miech, and John K. Niparko. 2007. "Development of a Communicative Performance Instrument for Pediatric Cochlear Implantation." Ear and Hearing 28(5):703-712.

Miech, Richard A, and Howard Chilcoat. 2007. "Disparities in Illegal Drug Use over the Life Course: Implications for Prevention and Intervention." American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 32:S171-S176.

Bevans, Katherine, Catherine Bradshaw, Richard Miech, and Phil Leaf. 2007. "Staff- and School- Level Predictors of School Organizational Health: A Multilevel Analysis." Journal of School Health, 77(6):294-302.

Miech, Richard, Shiriki Kumanyika , Nicolas Stettler, Virginia W. Chang, Bruce Link, Jo Phelan, Virginia Chang. 2006. “Trends in the Association of Poverty with Overweight among U.S. Adolescents: 1971-2004” JAMA 295(20): 2385-2393.

Miech, Richard A., William W. Eaton, and Kathleen Brennan. 2005. “Mental Health Disparities Across Education and Sex: A Prospective Analysis Examining How They Persist over the Life Course.” Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 60(Special Issue):93-98.

Miech, Richard A., Howard Chilcoat, and Valerie Harder. 2005. “The Increase in the Association of Education and Cocaine Use over the 1980s and 1990s: Evidence for a 'Historical Period' Effect.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence 79:311-20.

Miech, Richard A, and Howard Chilcoat. 2004. “Family Socioeconomic Status and Illegal Drug Use by Age 17: An Examination Across Two Generations.” Social Science and Medicine 60:725-735.

Muntaner, Carles, William W. Eaton, Richard Miech, and Patricia O’Campo. 2004. “Socioeconomic Position and Major Mental Disorders.” Epidemiologic Reviews 26:53-62.

Walrath, Christine, Richard Miech, Wayne Holden, Brigitte Manteuffel, Rolando Santiago, and Phillip Leaf. 2003. “Child Functioning in Rural and Non-Rural Areas: How Does it Compare When Using the Service Program Site as the Level of Analysis?” Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 30:452-461.

Miech, Richard A., William Eaton, and Kung-Yee Liang. 2003. “Occupational Stratification over the Life Course: A Comparison of Occupational Trajectories Across Race and Gender during the 1980s and 1990s.” Work and Occupations, 30:440-473.

Shanahan, Michael J., Scott Hofer, and Richard A. Miech. 2003. “Planful Competence, the Life Course, and Aging: Retrospect and Prospect.” Pp. 189-211 in S. Zarit, L. Pearlin, & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Personal Control in Social and Life Course Contexts. New York: Springer.

Miech, Richard A., John C. S. Breitner, Peter Zandi, Ara S. Khachaturian, James C. Anthony, Lawrence Mayer. 2002. “Incidence of AD May Decline in the Early 90's for Men, Later for Women. The Cache County Study” Neurology, 58:209-218.

Miech, Richard A., Marilyn J. Essex, and H. Hill Goldsmith. 2001. "Socioeconomic Status and the Adjustment to School; The Role of Self-Regulation During Early Childhood" Sociology of Education, 74:102-120.

Miech, Richard A., and Robert M. Hauser. 2001. “Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Health at Midlife; A Comparison of Educational Attainment with Occupation-Based Indicators.” Annals of Epidemiology, 11:75-84.

Essex, Marilyn J., Marjorie H. Klein, Richard Miech, and Nancy A. Smider. 2001. "Timing of Initial Exposure to Maternal Major Depression and Children's Mental Health Symptoms in Kindergarten." British Journal of Psychiatry, 179:151-156.

Walrath, Christine, Susan dosReis, Richard A. Miech, Q. Liao, E. W. Holden, G. DeCarolis, Rolando Santiago, and Phil Leaf. 2001. "Referral Source Differences in Functional Impairment Levels for Children Served in the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program." Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10(3): 405-417.

Shanahan, Michael J., Scott Hofer, and Richard A. Miech. 2001. "Agency, Socioeconomic Status, and Adulthood in Life Course Perspective." In S. Zarit, L. Pearlin, & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Societal Impacts on Personal Control in the Elderly. New York: Springer. Forthcoming.

Miech, Richard A., and Michael J. Shanahan. 2000. “Socioeconomic Status and Depression over the Life Course.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41: 162-176.

Active Research Grants

2007-2010	National Institute for Drug Abuse, R01, "The Growing Disparity in Illegal Drug Use Across Socioeconomic Strata." Total costs: $758,339. Richard A. Miech, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
2006-2009	National Institute for Mental Health , R01, "Disparities Among Children Served by the CMHS Children's Services Program." Direct Costs: $1,888,810. Richard A. Miech, Co-Investigator
2002-2008	National Institute for Drug Abuse, K01, "Socioeconomic Status and Illegal Drug Use and Treatment." Direct costs: $541,112. Richard A. Miech, Ph.D., Principal Investigator.
2007-2008 2007-2008	UC Denver University Scholarship Team Grants , "Patients Beyond Borders: Perceptions of Medical Tourism Among Health Care Workers in India." Total Costs: $5,500 Principal Investigator: Blair Gifford, Ph.D. UC Denver University Scholarship Team Grants. "Migration and Health: A Case Study Using Mexico-Colorado Migration Streams" Total Costs $5,500 Principal Investigator: Richard Miech, Ph.D.