J. Michael Ryan (sociologist)

J. Michael Ryan
J. Michael Ryan, 2026
Born
John Michael Ryan

(1979-09-28) September 28, 1979
Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.
OccupationsSociologist, academic, and editor
Known forResearch on social theory, gender and sexuality, globalization, and the social dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic
AwardsSociety for the Study of Social Problems Outstanding Scholarship Award (2026)

Nazarbayev University Inclusive Teaching Award (2021)

Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2020)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (PhD)
Academic work
DisciplineSociology
Sub-discipline
Social theory; gender and sexuality studies; sociology of health and global crises
InstitutionsPontifical Catholic University of Peru

University of Maryland, College Park American University in Cairo University of Lisbon

Nazarbayev University
Notable works
Introduction to Sociology (6th ed., 2023)

The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd ed., 2025)

COVID-19: Social Inequalities and Human Possibilities (2022)

John Michael Ryan (known professionally as J. Michael Ryan) is a sociologist, academic, and editor recognized for his work in social theory, gender and sexuality studies, and the social dimensions of global crises, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan has collaborated with sociologist George Ritzer[1], author of The McDonaldization of Society. Together they have worked on Introduction to Sociology (6th edition, 2023),[2] a leading textbook in the discipline of sociology; and The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd edition, 2025),[3] the largest major reference work in the history of the field. Ryan has also worked with Ritzer to advance a wide variety of other fields, including theories of globalization[4] as well as defining the relationship between McDonaldization and artificial intelligence[5].

Ryan has also co-edited a number of other major reference works including The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society (2nd edition, 2025; with William Cockerham, Jonathan Gabe, and Stella Quah), the most comprehensive major health reference work in the social sciences,[6] as well as The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2017; with Bryan Turner, Chang Kyung-Sup, Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, Peter Kivisto, and William Outhwaite), and The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies[7] (2015; with Daniel T. Cook). He also served as an Advisory Editor on The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies[8] (edited by Nancy Naples, Renée C. Hoogland, Maithree Wickramasinghe, and Wai Ching Angela Wong).

Ryan is the founding editor of the COVID-19 Pandemic Series, published by Routledge, which examines the social, political, and cultural dimensions of the pandemic. In 2022, he published COVID-19: Social Inequalities and Human Possibilities, co-authored with Serena Nanda[9]. A recent interview with Ryan on COVID-19 as a social, economic, and political phenomenon[10] — beyond the purely medical perspective — was included in the compilation Crisis and Contagion: Conversations on Capitalism and Covid-19 (2023),[11] which brings together figures such as Noam Chomsky, Nancy Fraser, Mike Davis, Naomi Klein, and others. In this publication, Ryan argues for the importance of taking a syndemic approach to understanding global health issues as well as the ways in which the pandemic arguably served as a boom for neoliberal approaches to social maintenance.

During his tenure as an Associate Service Fellow at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Washington, D.C., Ryan led a cognitive interviewing project (together with Kristen Miller) to develop two sexual identity-related questions for the (U.S.) National Health Interview Survey: one pertaining to gender identity and one to sexual orientation. These questions were ultimately implemented and have generated improved estimates of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population in the USA[12]. During his tenure at NCHS, Ryan also served on a number of Obama administration executive-level, United States Department of Health and Human Services interagency advisory committees focused specifically on addressing policy gaps related to minority health, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Secretary Transgender Issues Listening Panel and the Healthy People 2020 Federal Interagency Workgroup for LGBT Issues.

Ryan is currently a research professor at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru.[13] Previously, he has held academic positions at the University of Maryland (USA), the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Ecuador), the American University in Cairo (Egypt), the Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal), and Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan).

Biography

J. Michael Ryan was born on September 28, 1979, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA. He is the son of Danny Paul Ryan I, a truck driver, factory worker, and small business owner, and Marilyn Jane Ryan (Jones). He is a first-generation college student. He graduated from North Montgomery High School and earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Awards

  • Society for the Study of Social Problems, Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Division Outstanding Scholarship Award (2026)[14]
  • Nazarbayev University Inclusive Teaching Award (2021)[15]
  • Choice Outstanding Academic Title for Gender in the Middle East and North Africa: Contemporary Issues and Challenges (2020)[16]

References

  1. ↑ languagevirus (2008-08-30). George Ritzer on the inspiration for his book. Retrieved 2026-07-28 – via YouTube.
  2. ↑ "Introduction to Sociology". collegepublishing.sagepub.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  3. ↑ "The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 12 Volumes, 2nd Edition | Wiley". Wiley.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  4. ↑ "Toward a Richer Understanding of Global Commodification". The Hedgehog Review. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  5. ↑ Ritzer, George; Ryan, J. Michael; Hayes, Sarah; Elliot, Mark; Jandrić, Petar (2024-12-01). "McDonaldization and Artificial Intelligence". Postdigital Science and Education. 6 (4): 1320–1333. doi:10.1007/s42438-024-00475-3. ISSN 2524-4868.
  6. ↑ "The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, 6 Volume Set, 2nd Edition | Wiley". Wiley.com. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  7. ↑ Cook, Daniel Thomas; Ryan, J. Michael, eds. (2015-05-27). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781118989463. ISBN 978-0-470-67284-6.
  8. ↑ Naples, Nancy A., ed. (2016-04-27). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781118663219. ISBN 978-1-4051-9694-9.
  9. ↑ Zhang, Jing (2023-02-01). "Book Review: COVID-19: Social Inequalities and Human Possibilities". Acta Sociologica. 66 (1): 111–112. doi:10.1177/00016993221095318. ISSN 0001-6993. PMC 9301349.
  10. ↑ "An Interview with J. Michael Ryan – Syndemic Magazine". Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  11. ↑ "Crisis and Contagion: Conversations on Capitalism and Covid-19 (2023)". Bing. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  12. ↑ Weinrich, James D. (2014-07-03). "On the Design, Development, and Testing of Sexual Identity Questions: A Discussion and Analysis of Kristen Miller and J. Michael Ryan's Work for the National Health Interview Survey". Journal of Bisexuality. 14 (3–4): 502–523. doi:10.1080/15299716.2014.952052. ISSN 1529-9716.
  13. ↑ PUCP. "JOHN MICHAEL RYAN". CV PUCP (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  14. ↑ "The Society for the Study of Social Problems | 2026 Student Paper Competitions Winners". www.sssp1.org. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  15. ↑ j.michaelsociology (2021-10-06). Inclusive Teaching. Retrieved 2026-05-07 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Outstanding Academic Titles 2020: Gender and Women's Studies". Choice 360. 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
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