Research

[The image shows members of the Karenni community in Omaha, with whom I engage at various levels and in several functions, including research (photograph by Joerg Boethling - www.visualindia.de).]

I am a medical anthropologist who broadly focuses on issues at the intersection of health, caregiving, religion and volunteering. More specifically, I am interested in caregiving in the community, refugee health and wellbeing, intercultural competence, and the effectiveness of mission, vision, and value statements in health professional education.

My expertise is in mixed methods (particularly ethnographic survey development and Group Concept Mapping) and qualitative research (particularly participant-observation, interviews, focus groups, life histories and archival research).

I did ethnographies, needs assessment, and program evaluation in southern Africa and the American Midwest and consider myself an applied anthropologist who uses anthropological knowledge, skills, and expertise to better understand and address social problems. As such, I extensively work with social service providers, health care organizations, non-governmental organizations, motivated by the accompaniment approach, inspired by Liberation Theology.

For more information, click on the Curriculum Vitae, Academia and Linked-in links on the right side of the page.