Journal club podcast now on iTunes
October 6, 2009
Medical Anthropology Matters at UF has gone audio with the addition of occasional podcasts with the authors of recent papers in medical anthropology, public health, and the health-related social sciences. The podcasts are hosted by Dr. Clarence (Lance) Gravlee.
Podcasts from MAM are free and can be downloaded from iTunes at Medical Anthropology Matters. (Podcasts>Audio Podcasts>Higher Education>Medical Anthropology Matters)

Fall semester, five distinguished Latin American scholars and public health officials are coming to Gainesville as part of the Bacardi Family Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida. The focus of the series this year is, “Health and Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
September 14 – Arachu Castro, PhD, MPH; Harvard Medical School
Responding to Public Health Priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean: From Academic Research to Policy Setting to Clinical Practice
September 28 – Álvaro Quijano, MD; Yucatán Department of Health
Human Influenza H1N1 (Swine Flu) in Yucatán, Mexico
October 12 – Carles Muntaner, PhD, MD; University of Toronto
Misión Bario Adentro (Inside the Neighborhood): The Concept of Health as a Human Right—Venezuela
October 26 – Maria Eugenia Morales, PhD; Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
Mosquito-Borne Diseases and Public Health Challenges in Guatemala
November 9 – James A. Trostle, PhD, MPH; Trinity College
The Road to Better Health? Economic Development and Infectious Disease in Ecuador
For more information on the lecture series and the associated interdisciplinary grad seminar please contact Dr. Lance Gravlee.
Society for Medical Anthropology Conference
August 28, 2009
The Society for Medical Anthropology is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a conference in New Haven Connecticut September 24-27th, 2009. Plenary speakers include Drs. Paul Farmer, Didier Fassin, Arthur Kleinman, Emily Martin, Margaret Lock, and Merrill Singer (among many others). Several people from Anthropology at UF will also be presenting in various sessions at the conference. Please go the conference website for more information including registration, hotel information, conference schedules etc.
NSF-funded summer field school and workshops
November 13, 2008
Ricardo Godoy, Russ Bernard, and Jeff Johnson have just circulated an announcement about four training initiatives in research methods and design for summer 2009. The Cultural Anthropology Program at NSF funds these initiatives, which are for Ph.D. students and holders of the Ph.D. in cultural anthropology.
Field methods in Bolivia (for Ph.D. students). Now in its sixth year, this training program takes place among the Tsimane’, a native Amazonian society of farmers and foragers in Bolivia and is directed by R. Godoy (Brandeis). Training focuses on methods to collect ecological, demographic, economic, cognitive, anthropometric, and health data. The training builds on and is informed by a panel study in progress since 1999 and lasts five weeks. Tentative instructors include: R. Godoy (Brandeis), W. Leonard and T. McDade (Northwestern), L. Gravlee (Florida), S. Tanner (Georgia), and V. Reyes-García (Brandeis and Barcelona). Dates: June 7–July 12.
Research design (for Ph.D. students). Now in its 14th year, the Summer Institute for Research Design in Cultural Anthropology (SIRD) is for Ph.D. students who are writing their research proposals. The three-week course focuses on research design and the writing of a scientifically well-conceived proposal. It also provides an introduction to methods for collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data. Instructors include: J. C. Johnson (East Carolina), S. Weller (Texas), H. R. Bernard (Florida), A. Wutich (Arizona State). Dates: July 12–July 31.
Short courses on research methods (for holders of the Ph.D.). Now in its fifth year, the SCRM program offers intensive, five-day courses on research methods in cultural anthropology. In 2009, the SCRM offers:
- Methods of Behavior Observation. Raymond Hames (Nebraska) and Michael Paolisso (Maryland). July 13–17.
- Social Network Analysis. Jeffrey Johnson (East Carolina) and Christopher McCarty (Florida). July 20–24.
- Collecting and Analyzing Video. Elizabeth Cartwright (Idaho State) and Jerome Crowder (Houston). July 27–31
Workshops in Research Methods in Anthropology (for all cultural anthropologists). These one-day workshops are offered at the meetings of the AAA and the SfAA. See the Methods Mall for current offerings.
More information and application forms for all four progarms are available on the Methods Mall.
Welcome to Medical Anthropology Matters
November 12, 2008
This new blog grew out of a local need at the University of Florida to share information between students and faculty affiliated with the graduate program in medical anthropology. But we hope that it will grow to become more than a local resource. Indeed, one reason we opted for a blog, rather than an internal list-serve, is that we’d like to promote the exchange of ideas with people interested in medical anthropology—no matter where you are.
In the spirit of promoting dialogue, we begin by inviting you to share your ideas about how best to use this blog. What’s your vision for what it could become? Leave a comment to let us know.
We’d also like to encourage students and faculty at UF to become authors on the blog. So, if you don’t already have one, sign up for an account on WordPress.com, and we’ll add you as a contributor.