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My areas of specialization include the anthropology of organizations, medical anthropology, and gerontology. Under the umbrella of these three broad topics, I’m interested in the diversity of human organizations based on kinship, age, religion, environmental concerns, business and economy; ethnicity and identity; medical pluralism and medical ethics; anthropology of the body; social strategies among the elderly; cross-cultural perspectives on aging; and chronic illnesses and health problems of the elderly. My ongoing research, an anthropological study of the use of radioactive radon gas as a remedy, incorporates gerontology, medical anthropology, and organizational anthropology. I’ve done fieldwork on this topic in the United States, where radon in considered an “alternative” therapy, and in Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic, where it is prescribed by medical doctors.
Recent Publications: 2007 Radioactive Pain Relief: Health Care Strategies and Risk Assessment Among Elderly Arthritis Sufferers at Radon Health Mines. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 13(3):375-380.
2007 Toxin or Medicine? Explanatory Models of Radon in Montana Health Mines. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 21(1):1-21.
2006 The Therapeutic Use of Radon: A Biomedical Treatment in Europe; An “Alternative” Remedy in the United States. Dose Response 5:48-62.
2006 Range of Motion Assessment of Elderly Arthritis Sufferers at Montana “Radon Health Mines.” International Journal of Low Radiation 3(4):325-336. |
Courses
Anth 102 Anth 401 Anth 414 Anth 499 Anth 599 Phone: (714) 278-5697 Office: MH426E Office Hours: MTR (July 7, 8, 10) 1pm-6pm; TWR (July 29, 30, 31) 1pm-6pm
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I’m
a cultural anthropologist, tempered by a life-long interest in the
biological sciences. I earned my Ph.D. in Anthropology, and a Graduate
Certificate in Gerontology, at the University of Nevada, Reno. I have
taught introductory courses in Cultural and Biological Anthropology, as well
as upper division courses such as Economic Anthropology, Medical
Anthropology, Anthropology of Tourism, Ethnographic Field Methods, Culture
and Aging, Ethnogerontology, and History of Anthropology. I also teach
graduate seminars, including Theory and Methods in Cultural/Linguistic
Anthropology, Medical Pluralism, Anthropology and Aging, Anthropology of
Organizations, and Business & Industrial Anthropology.