Newsletter: October 2003
Nancy Vuckovic and Janelle Taylor, Contributing Editors
Joint 2004 SMA/SfAA
Kathryn Oths (U Alabama)
The joint meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology and the Society for Medical Anthropology will take place March 31 – April 4, 2004 in Dallas, Texas. The theme of the 2004 meetings—Social Science and Advocacy—emphasizes the past, present and future role of social scientists as advocates and the implications of this role in research, teaching and application.
We’d like to make this a banner year of participation in what has, from popular demand, become a fruitful every-other-year collaborative effort with the SfAA. With its broad cultural diversity and rich history, in a state with one of the highest concentrations of schools and medical centers in the US, Dallas is an ideal location for a joint meeting. Please consider organizing or co-organizing a session on a topic of your interest.
The SMA suggests considering cutting edge medical anthropological issues, especially as they relate to social science and advocacy, such as: Primary Health Care; Health Disparities; Migrant Farm Workers; Chronic Disease; Epidemiology and Anthropology; Risk; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Nursing Shortage; Substance Abuse, esp. Tobacco; Media and Medicine; E-medicine; Medical Mistakes; Methodological Issues; and, Antibiotic Resistance. If you wish to suggest other viable topics, organize a session, submit an individual paper or poster, or simply talk over your potential ideas, please contact either Mimi Nichter (U of Arizona, mimin@u.arizona.edu), or Kathy Oths (U of Alabama, koths@tenhoor.as.ua.edu), the co-program chairs for the SMA portion of the meetings.
For more information, visit the SfAA web site and click the annual meeting link on the left side of your screen. From here, you will be able to register for the meeting and submit paper and session abstracts. You will also find information about the conference location, meeting hotel, and travel to Dallas.
SMA Announces Two New Awards
Craig Janes (U Colorado-Denver)
The Society for Medical Anthropology is pleased to announce two new awards in applied medical anthropology: the Career Achievement Award, and the Practicing Medical Anthropology Award. The awards will be given in recognition of significant accomplishment in applying anthropology to real world problem solving in the area of health. Candidates for both awards will be selected based on evidence of engagement in and contributions to socially relevant problem solving. Of particular importance is a candidate’s demonstrated ability to use effectively the full range of anthropological tools – methods, theory, and principles – in cross-disciplinary contexts. Inaugural awards will be announced at the joint 2004 SMA/SfAA meetings. Each Awardee will be presented with a plaque of appreciation and $200 check.
SMA Career Achievement Award
The Career Achievement Award is designed to honor career-long (at least
10 years post Ph.D.) contributions to establishing the practice of medical
anthropology as a full partner in solving health problems. Of primary interest
is a record of working effectively as part of interdisciplinary health research
efforts, and of academic or popular publications, presentations, lectures
and technical reports produced for audiences both within and outside of
anthropology.
SMA Practicing Medical Anthropology Award
The Practicing Medical Anthropology Award is designed to honor scholars
engaged in applying anthropological principles in particular health project
settings. It will be presented in recognition of anthropological contributions
made in the context of a specific project setting or problem arena. Successfully
working as an integral team-member in applied projects demonstrating innovative
problem definition and research methods for solving health problems is a
primary interest.
Please send letters of nomination (self-nominations are permitted) by January 31, 2004 to: Linda Anne Rebhun, Chair Society for Medical Anthropology Practicing Awards Selection Committee, Yale University Department of Anthropology, P.O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06250-8277, email: linda-anne.rebhun@yale.edu. For package/express mail delivery services the address is 51 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511. Subsequent to nomination the candidate will be contacted by the committee and asked to submit a CV, candidate’s statement, one additional letter of recommendation, and examples of pertinent writings.
MAQ Book Editor
The Medical Anthropology Quarterly is seeking a new Book Review Editor to begin January 2004. The Book Review Editor receives and solicits books of interest to the readership, finds appropriate reviewers, and manages the reviews from submission to publication in collaboration with the Managing Editor and the production team at AAA. Please submit a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to Pamela Erickson, Editor, MAQ at pamela.erickson@uconn.edu or Anthropology U-2146, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-2176.
Please send your comments, contributions,
news and announcements to the SMA Contributing
Editors Nancy Vuckovic (nancy.vuckovic@kpchr.org)
or Janelle Taylor (jstaylor@u.washington.edu).