Medical Anthropology

Students seeking training in medical anthropology will find diverse interests and approaches among the KU anthropology faculty. Medical anthropology at KU offers students important opportunities to integrate sociocultural and biomedical approaches. The faculty research and teaching around health and illness cover diverse topics and specializations, including: ecological anthropology, semiotics and therapeutic processes, molecular genetics, demographic process, disease and nutrition, international health policy and human rights, and the integration of biology, behavior, power, and technologies in human reproduction. At the M.A. level students with an interest in medical anthropology take core courses in the subfields of anthropology and the history of anthropology, and a course in ethnographic field methods. A thesis is required. At the Ph.D. level students work closely with an adviser and their committee in the topic of their specialization. Medical anthropology students are uniquely positioned to develop a robust knowledge of the diversity of anthropological methods needed to analyze health and illness, and may complement their anthropological training with a wide array of courses across the KU system tailored to their individual needs, such as cultural psychology, health policy and management, biostatistics, etc.