Description

The Applied Medical Anthropology concentration offers a Master's in Anthropology degree for students interested in using anthropological theory and methods in research on regional, national, and international health problems. Through small seminars, field placements, and mentoring, the program emphasizes experiential, hands-on training as well as academic preparation for research and service careers in community and international health.

The applied specialization is part of the program in Medical Anthropology at SUNY Buffalo. The difference between the doctoral program and the M.A. track is that the Master's students specialize more quickly than do most graduate students, preparing for a first-year qualifying exam in applied medical anthropology rather than in cultural or physical anthropology and beginning a major research project by the third semester.

After completion of the M.A. degree, usually in the second year, graduates are encouraged to pursue various career goals. Employment may be sought through community agencies, research centers, and institutional grants and projects. Continued training at the University at Buffalo or elsewhere toward an M.PH. (Master's of Public Health), an M.S. in Epidemiology, a certificate program in Environmental Health, and similar opportunities will lead to research positions and administrative employment. Those planning on clinical careers may apply to schools of medicine, dentistry, social work, and other health professions. Students who decide to pursue a Ph.D. in medical anthropology may apply for continued study in the UB Anthropology department or at other institutions.

Faculty

Ann McElroy is the program director. Departmental faculty with interests in medical, biological, and applied anthropology include Ana Mariella Bacigalupo, David Banks, Chris Duggleby, Donald Pollock, Joyce Sirianni, Vasiliki Neofotistos, Phillips Stevens, Jr., Barbara Tedlock, Everett Zhang, and Ezra Zubrow. Affiliated faculty include Richard V. Lee (adjunct in Anthropology, faculty in the School of Medicine), Patricia Townsend (Research Associate in Anthropology), Lucille Sherlick (Research Associate in Anthropology), Mary Ann Jezewski (faculty, School of Nursing), Heather Lindstrom (Adjunct Assistant Professor in Anthropology and Senior Epidemiologist with the Erie County Dept of Health), and Linda Kahn (adjunct in Anthropology, employed at Family Medicine, Erie County Medical Center).).

Admission Requirements

Three recommendation letters, a statement of purpose, and a resumé; GRE scores (TOEFL for international students); transcripts of previous college work. Use the regular department application. Part-time students may apply. Applications must be submitted by May 1.

Program Format

1. Students work with a primary faculty advisor and a second advisor who form a committee for planning, execution, and defense of the M.A. research. Frequent meetings with advisors are encouraged to review progress. We expect students to move through program elements in a timely fashion, normally completing all requirements in four semesters. Part-time students may require additional time. The grade point average in graduate courses should stay at 3.0 or better; if the GPA falls below 3.0, the student is on probation and should seek advisement.

2. Students participate in a medical anthropology colloquium throughout the program. This informal seminar features guest speakers, student presentations, group discussions of selected topics and journal articles, etc. Doctoral students in medical and physical anthropology may participate in the colloquium.

3. Students take a qualifying exam in medical anthropology, applied anthropology, and biocultural theory at the end of the second semester. Format will be take-home, open-book, similar to the cultural qualifying exam. Questions will be prepared and graded by faculty. Students should receive at least a Pass on the exam to continue in good standing in the program; any person failing or receiving a Low Pass on the exam may continue with probationary status. The student must do remedial work to address deficiencies or attempt a re-take of the exam at the end of the fourth semester.

4. The capstone activity in this program is a field project. A research proposal for the project is developed during the second semester and carried out as a pilot study during the summer. (In some cases, the student will need to clear the project with the Institutional Review Board at UB that oversees human subjects protections. This should be done by the third semester).

The project may involve placement in a health facility or a community agency or program, or it may involve ethnographic observations and interviews in a community or among a specific group (e.g., rural elderly). Students are encouraged to seek out placement opportunities. Travel to international sites is acceptable. Research may be carried out at a field school or a research institute (for example, at the Centers for Disease Control as a summer intern), to be arranged independently by the student.

Financial support during research and internships is not guaranteed, but the Mark Diamond Research Fund is available for graduate student research. In certain cases, the summer may be used to carry out an internship to set up a research opportunity. The actual project will usually be carried out during the following fall and/or spring semester.

5. In the second year the student prepares a final research report on the field project and an informal oral presentation to the colloquium. Several formats for the final product are acceptable:

a) a formal project paper, 50-90 pages; b) two shorter (20-30 page) reports or articles (reports should focus on applied, evaluation issues; articles should be publishable); or c) a set of educational materials (for example, a videotape and bilingual manual on prenatal care for migrant farm workers; a CD-ROM on HIV/AIDS risk factors and prevention methods; a workbook for first responders and other emergency personnel addressing cultural differences in responses to trauma).

6. The final research product will be evaluated by a faculty committee made up of the advisor and one other faculty member from the department. A third faculty member or adjunct faculty may serve on the committee if appropriate. There will be a final formal presentation of the research, followed by evaluation and debriefing by the committee.

Please see the Applied Medical Anthropology Tracking Form.

Links to other programs

The SUNY Buffalo Anthropology doctoral program:

Students wishing to continue in the Department of Anthropology doctoral program must apply through regular admission procedures and will be subject to regular departmental requirements for qualification, including a qualifying exam in cultural or physical anthropology and core courses in the subdisciplines. Courses taken in the Applied program will count toward the 72 hours and the required core courses for the Ph.D.

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at SUNY Buffalo:

Students hoping to pursue the M.S. in Epidemiology or the Master's of Public Health are encouraged to apply to the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine in the second year of the Applied Medical Anthropology program. Both programs are rigorous, and we do not encourage simultaneous work in both. However, a student may take courses in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine while in the anthropology program.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Ann McElroy, 716-645-2291, or mcelroy@buffalo.edu

Ms. Margaret Kasprzyk, 716-645-2414, or mmk22@buffalo.edu


Last updated 10/2007