Join us for the Society for Medical Anthropology Biennial Meeting
March 25-29, 2008
The Society for Medical Anthropology meets jointly with the Society for Applied Anthropology in spring 2008 in the historic port city of Memphis, TN. The deadline for paper, poster and session abstracts is October 15, 2007. IMPORTANT: be sure your abstract includes a note that it is intended for the “SMA Program.”
Exciting special events...
The SMA program will include an outstanding plenary session and welcoming reception for SMA members. The plenary, scheduled for 4:30-6:30pm on Wednesday, March 25, will explore “The Political Construction of Global Communicable Disease Crises,” highlighting anthropologists’ insights on research, policy, and program intervention.
SMA Plenary Session: The Political Construction of Global Infectious Disease
Crises -- (W-89) WEDNESDAY 4:30-6:30 -- Nashville Room
CHAIRS: FINERMAN, Ruthbeth (U Memphis), MANDERSON, Lenore (U Monash), and
SARGENT, Carolyn (S Methodist U)
- MANDERSON, Lenore (Monash U) Containing Fear: Notes on an Economic History of
Epidemics and Infection - OBRIST VAN EEUWIJK, Brigit (U Basel) Malaria: A Health or Development Issue?
- RENNE, Elisha P. (U Michigan) The Politics of Polio
- FELDMAN, Douglas A. (SUNY-Brockport) The Politics and Stigma of Global HIV/AIDS
- SMITH-NONINI, Sandy (U NC-Chapel Hill) The (Drug-resistant) Consumptives Are Coming!:
Policing the Bacillus - BRIGGS, Charles L. (UC-Berkeley) Virtual Crises of Infectious Diseases: The
Biocommunicable Production of a West Nile Virus “Threat” - NICHTER, Mark (U Arizona) Community Response to Avian Flu in Central Java, Indonesia
In addition, the SMA program will include daily featured and volunteered SMA symposia, poster sessions and workshops; a special Medical Anthropology Student Association workshop and reception; student parties; and a medical anthropology student poster competition.For an up-to-date list of SMA related sessions and activities, click on the following links: Weds-Mar26, Thurs-Mar27, Fri-Mar28, Sat-Mar29
A truly unique meeting highlight will be a chartered sunset cruise on the Mississippi River aboard an authentic paddlewheel boat. The cruise will include a cash bar, and a reception sponsored by The University of Memphis. Tickets for this chartered cruise - exclusively for SMA members - may be purchased through the SfAA website. Note that a limited number of tickets are available for the chartered cruise event, so reserve yours early!
Memphis highlights...
Memphis’ downtown features loads of entertainment, including Beale Street blues music, the South Main arts district, the National Civil Rights Museum, Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum, Sun Studio, Blues Museum, Memphis Rock & Soul Museum, Mud Island River Park, Peabody Place Mall, Victorian Village, professional sports, riverboat tours, and scores of excellent restaurants. Friday, March 27 will also showcase the South Main Arts Tour, when galleries stay open late and sponsor free trolley rides, street performers and refreshments.
Other popular Memphis attractions include Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Chucalissa culture heritage museum, the National Ornamental Metal Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis Zoo, Brooks Museum, Dixon Gallery, Memphis Botanic Gardens, Pink Palace Museum, and Children’s Museum. Memphis also boasts one of the largest medical research centers in the United States. Facilities include the UT Health Science Center; St. Jude Children’s Research Center; The Regional Medical Center; Memphis & Shelby County Department of Health; Baptist, Methodist Le Bonheur, and St. Francis hospitals; and a range of non-profit health resources.
Conference hotel...
The joint meeting will convene at the Memphis Marriot Downtown, 250 N. Main Street (901-527-7300); http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/memdt-memphis-marriott-downtown/. This luxury, nonsmoking venue is the largest hotel in Memphis and features fabulous views of the city skyline and Mississippi River. The hotel is located by the Memphis Trolley line, providing easy access to downtown attractions. The SfAA has arranged special room rates; for details visit http://www.sfaa.net and click on “Annual Meeting”.
Registration & Abstract Information...
SMA conference registration will be handled by the Society for Applied Anthropology. Registering for the meeting is easy using the online form. Just visit http://www.sfaa.net and click on “Annual Meeting”. Remember: be sure your proposal submission notes that it is intended for the “SMA Program.”
To submit an abstract for review, you must first register. If registering online, you will be automatically connected to links for the abstract submission forms. Check the “Instructions” page before you submit an abstract. You may choose from forms to organize a session, present a paper, hold a workshop, show a video, or present a poster. If you plan to present a poster, check out the link to “Poster Information – Why and How.” To register by mail, download a pdf file of the registration form from the website. You may either download the form from the “Instructions” link or the “Step 1 - Online Registration” link. Abstract submission forms are also available for download. Please mail in your registration and abstract forms at the same time.
SMA 2008 Program Chair Ruthbeth Finerman can be contacted at finerman@memphis.edu; 901-678-2080. Additional Program Committee members are SMA Board Liaison Kathleen Ragsdale, President Marcia Inhorn, President Elect Carolyn Sargent, and Board Members Kitty Corbett, Robbie Davis-Floyd, Douglas Feldman, Ellen Gruenbaum, Alan Harwood, Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts, Vinay Kamat, Tom Leatherman, Lenore Manderson, Carolyn Smith-Morris, Elisa Sobo, Catherine Timura, and Ben McMahan.
We look forward to seeing you next spring!