Melanie S. Brasher

Biography

Melanie Sereny Brasher joined the University of Rhode Island in the fall of 2014 as part of the Cluster Hire Initiative in Aging & Health.

Professor Brasher currently teaches

  • SOC 212: Sociology of the Family
  • SOC 224: Health, Illness, and Medical Care
  • SOC 431: Family and Aging
  • SOC 438: Aging and Society
  • SOC 460: Quantitative Methods in Sociology

Research

Professor Brasher is a sociologist, social gerontologist, and demographer. Her recent research focuses on intergenerational technology programs, research data management, and personal productivity. She currently supports data management for project STEEP at URI. She recently served as a faculty leader for inclusive teaching and accessibility, as part of URI’s office for the advancement of teaching and learning (ATL). In this role she provided URI colleagues with guidance on alternative grading and led a book club on Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn’t Matter – and What Really Does (by Ned Laff and Scott Carlson). 

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy, sociology, Duke University, 2013
  • Master of Arts, sociology, Duke University
  • Bachelor of Arts., Washington University, St. Louis

Selected Publications

  • Brasher, M., & Izenstark, A. (2025, July). LibGuides @ URI: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). https://uri.libguides.com/pkm/intro
  • Brasher, M. S. (2022). Filial norms, altruism, and reciprocity: Financial support to older parents in China. Journal of Population Ageing, 15(1), 259–277.
  • Leedahl, S. N., Brasher, M., Capolino, A., & Estus, E. (2024). Using a Quasi-Experimental Study to Examine Program Participation and Outcomes for Older Adult Intergenerational Technology Program Participants. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 22(2), 291–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2023.2209556
  • Leedahl, S. N., Brasher, M. S., LoBuono, D. L., Wood, B. M., & Estus, E. L. (2020). Reducing ageism: Changes in students’ attitudes after participation in an intergenerational reverse mentoring program. Sustainability, 12(17), 6870.
  • Leedahl, S. N., Souza, K., Capolino, A., Brasher, M., Pascuzzi, E., Azzinaro, C., Ellison, T., Estus, E., & Maigret, M. (2023). Improving Technology Use, Digital Competence, and Access to Community Resources Among Older Participants in the University of Rhode Island Engaging Generations Cyber‐Seniors digiAGE Pilot Study. Journal of Elder Policy, 2(3), 55–92.
  • Brasher, M. (2019). Social Clock. In Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_517