Newsletter: January 2004
SMA Award Winners Announced in Chicago
Congratulations to the winners of the 2003 SMA prizes, awarded at the annual meeting in Chicago. This year’s winner of the Rivers undergraduate Prize is Jennifer Staple, who graduated last year from Yale’s Dept. of Anthropology. Her essay, titled: “Forging Activist Identities in the Kalaupapa Community of Leprosy Patients.” The winner of the Hughes Graduate Student Paper Prize went to Nili Kaplan-Myrth, also from Yale, for her essay entitled: “Black, White or Brindle: Community Advocacy in Australian Aboriginal Health.” The 2003 Polgar Prize for the best essay in volume 16 of MAQ was awarded to James Pfeiffer for his essay entitled: “African Independent Churches in Mozambique: Healing the Afflictions of Inequality”.
Two New Awards for 2004
In 2004, SMA will offer two new prizes 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.
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. The Practicing Medical Anthropology Award is designed to honor scholars engaged in applying anthropological principles in particular health project settings.
Letters of nomination (self- nominations are permitted) will be accepted until January 31, 2004. Please send letters 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.
2003 SMA Board
Craig Janes is our newly inaugurated SMA president. Contact information for Craig and other board members can be found on the SMA website: http://www.medanthro.net/.
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)