Rena Zito is an associate professor of sociology at Elon University and a person with Tourette Syndrome (TS). Her research examines how adults with TS and other stigmatized populations construct identities, preserve dignity, and combat social exclusion. She is the author of “When You’re (not) the Stereotype: Coprolalia Stigma in the Lives of Adults with Tourette Syndrome” (Deviant Behavior, 2025) and “‘It’s a Social Disease’: Tourette Syndrome, Stigma, and Dilemmas of Disclosure” (in Deviance Today, 3rd ed., Routledge, forthcoming 2026). Dr. Zito has been featured on the European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome’s podcast Gilles is in the Air, serves on the Global Research Committee for TTAG (Tics and Tourette’s Across the Globe), and regularly guest lectures in university courses on medical sociology and disability studies