Medical anthropologists look for holistic solutions to human health

On Feb. 28, nearly 50 medical anthropologists from three Arizona universities gathered in West Hall on ASU’s Tempe campus for the annual Medical Anthropology in Arizona Symposium. The 2025 symposium marked the third meeting between ASU, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona medical anthropology faculty.

“Our initial aim was to form relationships between medical anthropologists across state universities and other institutions,” said Michelle Parsons, an associate professor at Northern Arizona University.

A subfield within anthropology, medical anthropology takes an interdisciplinary approach to human health by examining how health and illness are influenced by culture, history and politics. At its core, the field of study aims to understand both how health systems work — and perhaps more importantly, the reasons why they may not.

“Medical anthropology looks at health systems from a bird’s eye perspective that questions many of the assumptions about what health is and the best way to deliver it to everyone. It understands health as a basic human right, and that dignity and empathy always needs to be part of that equation,” said Alexandra Brewis, a Regents and President's Professor within the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at ASU.

Since its inception in 2023, the symposium has been instrumental in facilitating impactful collaborative research initiatives such as Arizona Water for All which works with Arizona’s most water-insecure households and communities to improve water security and engagement in water decision-making.

“Given recent challenges to scientific research and the tenets of medical anthropology, it’s very powerful and effective to come together with other scholars to discuss the issues we currently face. Not as a way to lament but as a way to uplift and support each other, and to consider optimistic, thoughtful, and meaningful ways to navigate and tackle the challenges head on,” said Melissa Liebert, an associate professor at Northern Arizona University.

This year’s symposium featured presentations from graduate students, breakout sessions and research presentations from faculty. Topics ranged from mental health, maternal femicide, homelessness and artificial intelligence.

“Each university is invested in deploying cutting-edge social science research and training to support healthy communities in Arizona and strive for better health care delivery,” said Brewis of the presentations.

For Brewis, one presentation, “Medical anthropology and forensic anthropology,” was particularly thought provoking. Given by Robin Reineke, an assistant research social scientist at the University of Arizona’s Southwest Center, the presentation challenged those in attendance to think about medical anthropology’s toolkit being applied to the deceased.

“It’s still about a person, and part of our task is figuring out the best way to provide dignified and adequate care. She’s absolutely right that medical anthropology can contribute further to high quality forensic work, and other efforts to reunite the missing with their loved ones, in the state and beyond. So that was a new call to a collective mission that came out of the presentation,” said Brewis.

Reineke works extensively with the Colibrí Center for Human Rights, an organization that strives to create safe, humane, and effective processes for families of missing migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border to find answers.

“Where medical anthropology is strongest is in creating new solutions to old problems that can't be fixed using traditional medical or public health tools and thinking. This is why you will see medical anthropologists doing a lot of on-the-ground work out in communities,” said Brewis.

With measles outbreaks in Texas, tuberculosis outbreaks in Kansas and Arizona’s severe flu season, the symposium could not have come at a better time.

“My biggest takeaway from this group is that Arizona is a powerhouse for deploying social science to improve health and health care for everyone in our state, from hospitals and pharmacies, to local communities and care within families,” said Brewis.