Society for Medical Anthropology

A section of the American Anthropological Association

Breaking SMA News & Announcements

American Anthropologist Launches "Public Anthropology Reviews

  • Request for Submission of Review Materials AAA is pleased to announce the launch of "Public Anthropology Reviews," a new review section in American Anthropologist. Public Anthropology Reviews will highlight anthropological work principally aimed at non-academic audiences, including websites, blogs, white papers, journalistic articles, briefing reports, online videos, and multimedia presentations. The editors will also consider other traditional and innovative mechanisms for communicating anthropological research and concepts outside of academic realms and welcome suggestions. Please note that this review section will complement existing review sections and will therefore not review books, films or museum exhibits.

  • We are now accepting submissions for materials to be reviewed in the June 2010 issue of AA. Please send materials for review, ideas for review essays and inquiries to the review editors at the addresses listed below:
  • Editors: Melissa Checker (CUNY Queens C), Alaka Wali (Field Museum) and David Vine (American U)
  • Addresses for Inquiries, Ideas and Submissions of Materials for Review: publicanthreviews@gmail.com
  • (ED: Please note this message was originally sent in september, so check with them regarding timing)

Announcing Video Availability of the SMA Conference Plenary Presentations

  • So that those who cannot attend the SMA Conference "Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplinarity" can view the plenary presentations, full video of these events will be available, free of charge, on the conference website and via the AAA blog beginning in late September.
  • Registration for the conference is full, and there will not be on-site registration (please do not come to the conference if you are not pre-registered). If you are registered or have an unused online registration permission but do not plan to attend the conference, please let the conference organizers (medanthro.conference@yale.edu) know so that we can give your spot to someone on the waiting list.
  • We hope that providing a video option makes participating in the conference easier for medical anthropologists around the world!

Medical Anthropology (the Journal) Op-Eds

Medical Anthropology announces the addition of op-ed contributions in each issue from experts and world-renowned scholars who recognize and explain the issues in health, illness, and medicine that matter in your life and the lives of others. The op-ed contributions in each issue of Medical Anthropology provide commentary and opinion on the human stories of health and illness. These timely responses highlight the social conditions and cultural frameworks central to health beliefs and medical behavior of individuals, of families, and of societies.

  • In 2008 Medical Anthropology announced the addition of op-ed contributions in each issue from experts and world-renowned scholars who recognize and explain the issues in health, illness, and medicine that matter in your life and the lives of others.
  • The first in this series by Dr. Hans A. Baer (Melbourne), examined the impact of global warming on health and human societies (27:1). Dr. João Biehl (Princeton) followed with a discussion of the relations between pharmaceutical commerce and public health care with respect to global AIDS treatment initiatives (27:2). In the current issue (27:3), Heather Battles (McMaster) and Dr. Lenore Manderson (Monash) comment on the “Ashley Treatment” and its implications in regards to the public debate on the care of children with profound and multiple disabilities. In the final issue of 2008 (27:4), Dr. Vincanne Adams (UC-San Francisco) and colleagues outlined the need for “Global Health Diplomacy” which attends to the “dual goals” of improving global health and bettering international relations, with special concern for “conflict areas” and “resource-poor environments.” Dr. Sarah Pinto (Tufts) kicked off 2009 (28:1) with commentary on the "challenges" that an ethical language of abandonment used in psychiatric hospitals in India poses for families.
  • In the current issue (28:3) a plague of medical anthropologists wade into the timely issue of the H1N1 flu. Dr. Mark Nichter (Arizona) and Dr. Charles Briggs (UC-Berekely) comment upon the flu and the discourse about biosecurity and global health citizenship that surrounds it. It is their opinion that medical anthropology is absolutely crucial for a better informed public able to determine the factors and actors involved in knowledge production used in 'fighting' pandemics such as H1N1. Dr. Merrill Singer (Connecticut) raises important questions concerning the capacity of medical anthropology to respond usefully to such disease outbreaks and their health and social consequences. Finally, Dr. Laëtitia Atlani-Duault (Nanterre Paris X University) and Dr. Carl Kendall (Tulane) consider the under-discussed social effects of a truly massive global catastrophe that include the issues of communication, responding to predictable inappropriate reactions, preparation of populations for these effects, or using local population resources in the epidemic.
  • Stay tuned to each and every issue of Medical Anthropology – a truly international forum for medical anthropology – for more exciting, timely, and crucial insights in the social and cultural conditions at home and worldwide that impact health and medicine.

To the SMA Membership from Carolyn Sargent

  • I would like to share with you a message from Lenore Manderson (Monash University, Australia, SMA Board Member), who writes "I just want to let you know that Cecil Helman, Professor of Medical Anthropology at Brunel University, died last night. As you will know, he was awarded the SMA Career Achievement Award in December 2004, and in September 2005 received the 'Lucy Mair Medal in Applied Anthropology' from the Royal Anthropological Institute. His book Culture, Health and Illness had enormous impact in encouraging engagement with anthropology, especially I think from clinicians and other people working in applied public health and clinical arenas."
  • http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/sss/depts/anthropology/anth_staff/cecilhelman

SMA Conference Schedule

SFAA - Call for Papers and Participation

70th Annual Meeting - Mérida, Yucatan, México, March 24-27, 2010

  • The theme of the meeting is "Vulnerabilities And Exclusion In Globalization." The Program Co-chairs, Liliana Goldín (Florida International) and Francisco Fernández Repetto (UADY), invite the interest and submission of abstracts for papers, sessions, posters, and workshops. Please contact either Chair, goldin@fiu.edu, frepetto@uady.mx, or the SfAA Office at info@sfaa.net if you have questions or wish additional information.
  • Abstracts and papers may be in English or Spanish. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is October 15, 2009. A detailed description of the theme and the meeting venue may be found on the SfAA web page at www.sfaa.net and in the recent SfAA Newsletter at www.sfaa.net/newsletter/newsletter.html.
  • The Society is an international association of applied social scientists. The annual meetings emphasize problem definition and resolution. The discussions are inter-disciplinary and informal. A special welcome is extended to non-members.

Upcoming SMA Award Deadlines

FPR-UCLA Fourth Interdisciplinary Conference—Cultural and Biological Contexts of Psychiatric Disorder: Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment

  • Los Angeles, California January 22-24, 2010 (Fri-Sun) at UCLA Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium, Room 132.
  • This conference highlights the latest developments in psychiatric disorder/mental illness research and scholarship across many fields, including neurobiology, psychology, history, and anthropology. Registration is now open. For conference information, please visit: the conference website, or contact UCLA Central Ticket Office by email at cto@tickets.ucla.edu

Calling All Filmmakers! 2009 Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival

  • Oct 2nd, 2009 - Entry submission deadline: June 10th, 2009
  • TIEFF is organized by the Taiwan Association of Visual Ethnography, a non-profit organization dedicated to greater public awareness of documentary and ethnographic films, and co-organized by the Institute of Ethnology at the Academia Sinica of Taiwan. TIEFF is more than a venue for screening films and videos; it is also a forum for education, discussion, and exchange. TIEFF considers every film selected to be equally valuable; therefore, there is no competition section in the event.
  • This year's edition "Body and Soul" will invite curious audience to a multi-cultural investigation of medical/alternative healing practices. Possible topics that candidate films draw attention to can include, but are not limited to: Health care in the developing world/Indigenous, traditional, and alternative healing practices/Epidemics and infectious disease, suffering and care, etc. In creating the theme, the festival seeks stories and examples all around the world to cultivate common understanding of issues on physical and mental health beyond the confines of traditional medicines, in order to encompass heterogeneous, physical and spiritual practices which shape health care around the world.
  • We’re looking to screen films in the following categories:
    A) Central Theme: Documentary works themed on MEDICAL/ALTERNATIVE HEALING, of any time
    B) New Vision: Cultural documentary works OF ANY SUBJECT, completed within 2007-2009

Please send us entries now, or recommend to us films that the program cannot miss this year!

  • Entry form, regulations, and festival info at http://www.tieff.sinica.edu.tw/
  • Inquiry – Please contact entry specialist
  • Kirk Fong
    Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival
    Room 2610, Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica Nankang,
    Taipei 115, TAIWAN
    Tel: +886 2 2652 3452
    Fax: + 886 2 2785 5836 (ATTN: Room 2610)
    tieff@gate.sinica.edu.tw

Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplinarity - An International Conference of the Society for Medical Anthropology

  • Sept 24-27 2009 - Yale University
  • For More Information: Conference Website - Conference Brochure
  • Announcing Early Closure of Registration - We are happy to report that we have had a much higher than anticipated level of abstract submissions and registrations! However, since venue size and local hotel availability are limited, this unfortunately means that we were forced to close registration for the conference at midnight (EST) on April 15th.

Fulbright Scholar Grants:

March 1 is the opening of the Traditional Fulbright Scholar competition. Over 800 grants are available for lecturing, conducting research, or combining both in over 130 countries around the globe. The deadline is August 1. For information on Fulbright Scholar Awards, consult our website at www.cies.org for descriptions of awards and new eligibility requirements. If you are interested in requesting materials, please write to scholars@cies.iie.org

Research Review

The American Anthropologist has accepted the idea that it should review important volumes of work that may not appear in usual published venues, e.g., gray literature or technical reports.

  • The Committee on Practicing, Applied and Public Interest Anthropology is interested in 1) volumes in medical anthropology that would be good to review, e.g., the WHO report on Social Determinants, and 2) potential reviewers. If you have suggestions for volumes, or are interested in serving as a reviewer, please contact Robert Hahn directly at rah1@cdc.gov

Podcasted SMA Sessions for SfAA 2008

Check out the podcasted sessions from the 2008 SfAA/SMA meetings - many SMA sponsored sessions can be found there - and many many thanks to the SfAA for recording/processing/posting these sessions