Lindy Hern's Research on Single-Payer Healthcare Reform and Grassroots Movements

Lindy Hern, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, dedicates her research to social movements, with a particular focus on healthcare policy reform. Since 2004, Hern has explored the U.S. healthcare system, specifically the single-payer healthcare initiative, often referred to as the expanded and improved Medicare for All movement.

Hern holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Central Methodist University, as well as a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her dissertation delved into single-payer healthcare reform, emphasizing grassroots participation—a relatively unexplored domain during the early stages of her research.

The Environment of Opportunity Model

Hern introduced a theoretical framework termed The Environment of Opportunity Model in her book, "Single Payer Healthcare Reform: Grassroots Mobilization and the Turn Against Establishment Politics in the Medicare for All Movement." This model elucidates how activists develop collective perceptions of their social context, which in turn drives specific grassroots efforts. Her findings offer valuable insights into the grassroots healthcare reform movement and its implications on broader anti-establishment political dynamics in the U.S.

Currently, Hern is broadening her research to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic and recent political climates influence the single-payer healthcare agenda. She is also examining localized health policies in Hawaiʻi, contributing to the academic discourse on applied sociology and scholar activism, notably through guest editing a journal issue on the subject.

Hern actively involves her students in research projects, offering them opportunities for academic presentations and publications. By engaging students as collaborators, she seeks to enhance their educational experience while advancing her research initiatives.