Paul Draus, Ph.D.

From 1992 until 2000, I was a public health field worker, specializing in tuberculosis control, first in New York City and then in Chicago. I earned my PhD from Loyola University Chicago in 2001, and wrote my first book based on my dissertation field work, Consumed in the City: Observing Tuberculosis at Century’s End (Temple University Press, 2004).

At UM-Dearborn, I teach a variety of classes, including Medical Sociology, Urban Sociology, Sociological Theory, Deviant Behavior, Restorative Justice and Inside-Out Prison Exchange. I have published numerous articles on substance abuse, from crack cocaine in small towns in Ohio to heroin in the city of Detroit, and on urban green space. Lately I have been spending a lot of time in alleys.

Research Interests: 

urban sociology; substance use and misuse; restorative justice; landscape ecology

Draus, P., Haase, D., Napieralski, J., Sparks, A., Qureshi, S., and Roddy, J. (2020). Wastelands, Greenways and Gentrification: Introducing a Comparative Framework with a Focus on Detroit, USA. Sustainability 12(15), 6189; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156189

Draus, P., Haase, D., Napieralski, J., Roddy, J., and Qureshi, S. (2019). Wounds, Ghosts and Gardens: Historical Trauma and Green Reparations in Berlin and Detroit. Cities 93: 153-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.05.002

Draus, P., and Roddy, J. (2018). Weeds, Pheasants and Wild Dogs: Resituating the Ecological Paradigm in Postindustrial Detroit. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 42(5): 807-827. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12627

• January-April 2023 U.S. Fulbright Scholar: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
• 2019-2020 Provost Faculty Fellow
• 2014 Michigan Campus Compact Community Service-Learning Award