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I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health, Health Management & Policy Department, and (by courtesy) in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan. â€‹

 

My research program focuses on questions related to political, economic, and health inequalities, largely centering on the rural US. My book, Rural Pain, Republican Gain, is currently in production with the University of Chicago Press. This project won the 2022 Best Dissertation Award from the Class & Inequality section of the American Political Science Association.

 

My research has also appeared or is forthcoming in the American Political Science Review, the Election Law Journal,  the Journal of Public Policy, the Journal of Rural Health, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Communication, Political Science Research & Methods, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

 

I received my PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. Prior to Vanderbilt,  I earned my Master’s of Applied Politics degree at the University of Akron and my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Murray State University. 

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Welcome to my academic website. I am an Assistant Professor at the University of MichiganEmail me at meshep@umich.edu with any questions or comments. 

Assistant Professor  - University of Michigan

Copyright: Michael E. Shepherd 2025

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