Department of Anthropology
114 MacBride Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242-1322
Phone: 319-335-0522
Fax: 319-335-0653
E-mail: anthropology at uiowa.edu
Human experiences of sickness and suffering are universal, yet also profoundly shaped by their cultural and historical contexts. Medical anthropology seeks to understand cultural and biological diversity in sickness, health and healing. Its varied approaches include meaning-centered investigations of disrupted well-being, considerations of how biological & cultural factors interact to promote health or produce sickness, analyses of political-economic causes of health inequalities, and applied research to improve health research and services in a globalizing world. Coursework in medical anthropology at the University of Iowa prepares students for a range of careers in academia and/or applied research.
Faculty in the Department of Anthropology represent a spectrum of theoretical perspectives in medical anthropology, ranging from critical and interpretive to biocultural. A campus-wide network of affiliated faculty include medical anthropologists in the Colleges of Nursing, Public Health, and Medicine and the Global Health Studies Program. Faculty research interests incorporate a diverse range of geographical and topical specializations. Current examples include:
global/local politics of drinking & sobriety among Native North American women
culture change and blood pressure in Mozambique
cultural epistemologies of racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. public health
the health of vulnerable populations in post-war Angola
experiences of gay & lesbian parents in the U.S.
feminist theory in medical anthropology
community-based studies of rural health
etiology, treatment and prevention of plagiocephaly
a critique of war and its health consequences
improving biomedical physicians' skills for communicating bad news to patients
improving health care for elders in ethnic minority communities in the U.S.
Medical anthropology at The University of Iowa emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration. Key faculty (Barkey, Prussing) hold joint degrees in anthropology and public health. The Department of Anthropology maintains close ties to the Department of Community & Behavioral Health within the College of Public Health, and also to the Global Health Studies Program. An increasing number of anthropology graduate students are completing joint PhD/MPH degrees.
Anthropology Faculty Specializing in Medical Anthropology:
Nanette Barkey
Ellen Lewin
Erica Prussing
Affiliated Medical Anthropologists at the University of Iowa include:
Kevin M. Kelly, College of Public Health
Maureen F. McCue, Global Health Studies Program
Toni Tripp Reimer, College of Nursing
Marcy Rosenbaum, Department of Family Medicine
Current and Recent Graduate Students with Research Projects in Medical Anthropology:
Rachel Horner -“The Italian Slow Food Movement: Risk Discourse and Embodied Experience.” Currently completing fieldwork. Doctoral study supported by UI T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Fellowship, UI CGRER (Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research) Research Travel Grant, and UI Foreign Language and Area Studies grant.
Carolyn Hough -“Disruption and Development: Kanyalengs in The Gambia,” Ph.D. 2006. Currently Assistant Professor, Augustana College. Doctoral study supported by UI T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Fellowship, UI CIREH (Center for International, Rural and Environmental Health) Research Fellowship, UI Department of Anthropology Summer Research Grant.
Alexis Matza - "The Medicalization of Masculinity: Testosterone Therapy in the Aging Male and Transgender Male Communities." Currently completing fieldwork and teaching anthropology at Bridgewater State College. Doctoral study supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and National Science Foundation.
Kari Olson -“Methods of Control: An Anthropological Analysis of Fertility Regulating Technologies in Urban China,” Ph.D. 2003. Elected graduate student member, Executive Board, Society for Medical Anthropology, 2002-2004. Doctoral study supported by the American Council of Learned Societies (Committee on Scholarly Communication with China), UI T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Fellowship, UI Center for Asian & Pacific Studies, UI Seashore Dissertation-Year Fellowship.
Michelle Ramirez -“Suffering, Modernity and Morality: Menopause in Urban Oaxaca,” Ph.D. 2002. Currently Assistant Professor, Department of Social Science, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Research Associate, Kaiser Center for Health Research, 2004-2007. Postdoctoral fellow, Oregon Health & Science University/Kaiser Center for Health Research, 2002-2004. Doctoral study supported by the National Science Foundation.
Samantha Solimeo -“Living with Parkinson's Disease: Narratives and the Practice of Embodiment among Elder Iowans,” Ph.D. 2005. Currently postdoctoral fellow, Aging Center, Duke University School of Medicine. Doctoral study supported by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality).
Andria Timmer -“Defining Need: Organizational Efforts to Aid the Hungarian Roma.” Currently completing fieldwork. Doctoral study supported by UI CIREH (Center for International, Rural and Environmental Health) Research Fellowship, UI Foreign Language and Area Studies grant, UI T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Fellowship, UI International Programs Stanley Award for Graduate Research Abroad, and UI CGRER (Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research) Research Travel Grant.
Other recent/current student projects examine the cultural politics of an international clinical trial for HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, ganja use in Jamaica, chiropractic education and medical heterodoxy in the U.S., the mystification of malnutrition by neoliberal economic reforms in Nicaragua, and holistic healing in an American Orisha community.