The Medical Anthropology Ph.D. Concentration offers a specialized curriculum if you are interested in pursuing focused coursework in medical anthropology. In particular, we have bioanthropology and social-cultural anthropology faculty members whose research and teaching is either focused on human health and disease, or on a topic or theoretical approach that has relevance for understanding human health and disease. We anticipate that students interested in Medical Anthropology will have bioanthropology or social-cultural anthropology as their primary field, but the concentration is available to students from any field.

Course requirements for this concentration include the subfield requirements in the major, and the following:

• 2 required core courses
• E645: Advanced Seminar in Medical Anthropology
• B645: Biocultural Medical Anthropology
• 2 methods courses (E606: Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology and a graduate-level statistics course)
• 2 additional courses from the list below courses (must be from 2 different fields in anthropology)

It is expected, but not required, depending on your research interests, that you will develop a knowledge base in a particular culture area, either by taking their outside Ph.D. minor in an area studies program or through culture area courses in Anthropology.

Eligible courses

Only courses with known regular offerings are included. Courses from outside of Anthropology will be considered for inclusion on a case-by-case basis.

A667 - Topics in Medical Anthropology (can be taught from any field)
B512 - Evolutionary Medicine
B544 - The Biology and Anthropology of Women’s Bodies
B545 - Nutritional Anthropology
B600 - Seminar in Bioanthropology (*approved topics only. Currently approved topics include Behavioral Genetics [Kaestle])
B602 - Paleopathology
E600 - Seminar in Cultural and Social Anthropology (*topic must be approved by Medical Anthropology Advisor. Currently approved topics include: Ethnobotany [Brondizio]; Reproduction, Culture and Identity [Bahloul, Friedman]).
E621 - Food and Culture
E648 - Power, Subjectivity, and the State
E656 - The Anthropology of Race
E664 - Body, Power, and Performance
E674 - The Anthropology of Human Rights
E690 - Development and Anthropology

Advisory Committee

As required by their field, no later than the second year you are responsible for establishing an Advisory Committee and meeting with its members. The Advisory Committee will include at least one member of the Medical Anthropology faculty. As required by the University Graduate School, an outside Ph.D. minor will be selected, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, preferably during the first year.

Qualifying examination

The Ph.D. qualifying examination will follow the format of the field in which you are enrolled. It is expected that in addition to the examination sections required for the Anthropology degree, the examination also will include a section covering Medical Anthropology. The format of the exam will be approved in advance by the committee.

Medical Anthropology faculty

Sarah Phillips (Concentration co-Director)
Andrea Wiley (Concentration co-Director)
Joelle Bahloul
Eduardo Brondizio
Della Cook
Brian Gilley
Frederika Kaestle
Michael Muehlenbein
Marvin Sterling
Virginia Vitzthum