Newsletter: March 2006
Janelle S. Taylor, Contributing Editor
Three Important SMA Announcements
By Marcia C. Inhorn
New MAQ Co-Editors
In 2005, SMA’s President Craig Janes and President-Elect Marcia Inhorn appointed Gay Becker, former editor of Medical Anthropology Quarterly (MAQ), to head a search committee for the new MAQ editor. The committee consisted of Gay Becker (UCSF), Janice Hutchinson (U Houston), Marcia Inhorn (U Michigan), Craig Janes (Simon Fraser U), Carolyn Sargent (Southern Methodist U), and Lesley Sharp (Barnard College). The search began in summer 2005, with numerous queries and nominations over a six-month period. Six editorial candidates were interviewed by the search committee at the AAA meetings in December.
On behalf of the search committee, we are delighted to announce the appointment of two new co-editors: Mark Luborsky and Andrea Sankar of Wayne State University. Mark and Andrea run a dynamic medical anthropology program at Wayne State, and Wayne State has offered generous institutional support of the journal. Together, Mark and Andrea bring a wealth of editorial and SMA executive board experience to the MAQ editorship. We are delighted that they have agreed to serve as co-editors when Pamela Erickson’s term officially expires at the end of 2006. Please look for Mark and Andrea’s vision for the journal in the next issue of Anthropology News.
New Millennium Book Award: 2006 Competition
At the SMA Executive Board meeting in December, a new SMA book award was officially approved. Called the New Millennium Book Award, this award has been established to recognize and promote excellence in medical anthropology, broadly defined. The New Millennium Book Award will be made annually to a scholar within the field of medical anthropology for a solo-authored (or co-authored) book published since the beginning of the new millennium (2000 or later). Beginning in 2007, the award will be given to a book published within the preceding three years.
The New Millennium Book Award will be given to the author whose work is judged to be the most significant and potentially influential contribution to medical anthropology. Books of exceptional courage and potential impact beyond the academy will be given special consideration.
The New Millennium Book Award is designed to complement the Eileen Basker Prize and the Council for the Anthropology of Reproduction (CAR) book awards in the area of gender and health. Thus, books on gender and health topics will not be considered eligible for the New Millennium Book Award.
The Award will be publicly announced during the SMA business meeting, held during the annual AAA meetings. The winner will receive a $500 cash award and a plaque. Books that did not receive the award but are considered exceptional will receive honorable mentions at the award ceremony.
The New Millennium Book Award Committee strongly encourages submission of nominations for the 2006 competition. Nominations must come from one or more individuals (not organizations or publishers) in the form of a letter of nomination verifying the impact of the particular work on the field of medical anthropology. Self-nomination is not permitted, and works submitted without an accompanying letter of nomination cannot be considered. Publishers of nominated books are expected to supply six copies of the relevant work to the Award Committee.
Inquiries and nominations should be sent to the chair of the New Millennium Book Award Committee: Dr. Marcia C. Inhorn, HBHE, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA; tel (734) 615-9786, fax (734) 763-7379, email minhorn@umich.edu. Six copies of all materials must be sent by the closing date of Friday, June 30, 2006. Please include full name, mailing address, and email address for both authors and nominators.
Vancouver: Two Special Events
Two special events will be held at the SfAA-SMA joint meeting in Vancouver from March 28-April 2. First, SMA will officially recognize the newly formed Medical Anthropology Students Association (MASA) through a special event for students on Thursday, March 30. From 3:30-5:20 pm (Balmoral, Hyatt), students will have the opportunity to meet five of the past six SMA presidents, in order to discuss the state of medical anthropology and future careers in the field. This event will be followed by a pizza reception from 5:30-7 pm.
On Friday, March 31, a special two-part SMA Plenary Session, “Reproductive Disruptions: Gender, Technology, and Ethics in the New Millennium,” will be held from 1:30-5:20 pm (Balmoral, Hyatt). This will be followed by an SMA President’s Reception and Awards Ceremony at the beautiful Harbour Centre Campus of Simon Fraser University, within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Please see details in the SfAA-SMA preliminary program at http://www.sfaa.net/sfaa2006.html.
Please send column contributions to the SMA Contributing Editor, Janelle Taylor (jstaylor@u.washington.edu)