Interdisciplinary Fellowship Program

Past Fellows of CHCS Program
2002-2003 Fellows
 
Jeanne Moseley

"Before entering the MPH program in the Rollins School of Public Health, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia and taught second grade in a south Fulton county public school. These experiences combined with the guidance of International Health faculty and the opportunity to conduct a qualitative HIV/AIDS investigation in Soweto, South Africa helped me realize how important it is to glean an understanding of the historical, political, social, and cultural contexts of the place in which you work. In addition, my time in South Africa and the task of analyzing data from 50 in-depth interviews with HIV positive women greatly challenged me to think in broader terms about the complexities of disease and public health issues.

For these reasons, I applied to become a fellow with the Center for Health, Culture, and Society. I wanted to learn more about the social dimensions of health, as well as broaden my understanding of theoretical frameworks employed in social science research. My ultimate goal was to better understand how theory and abstract concepts, such as gender and sexuality could be used to critique and to improve public health projects, programs, and policies in the United States and abroad.

The fellowship provided me with the wonderful opportunity to take courses in anthropology, women studies, and human rights. The content and readings of these classes provided me with new academic lenses to view the complex relationships between society and health. For example, in a Feminist Ethnography course I was challenged to think about how one's positionality, epistemology, and personal biases shape what he or she observes, concludes, and then writes for others to read. Through participation in an interdisciplinary human rights course in the law school, I was able to examine the theory of global human rights and to contemplate the immense challenges to the realization of universal human rights. This class also provided me with the opportunity to design and to conduct a human rights advocacy project in a local elementary school. These courses along with others increased my knowledge, broadened my perspectives, and challenged me to look beyond biomedical frameworks when considering complex public health issues.

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to the Center and its associated faculty for this opportunity. As I prepare to begin a new job with the HIV/AIDS Program Evaluation and Training Unit of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, I feel extremely grateful to have had this past year to gain further insight into the intricacies of society, health, and culture. Furthermore, I believe that my interdisciplinary studies have better equipped me for a career in public health research and program design."

 
Maurita Poole

"I began the Center for Health, Culture, and Society (CHCS) fellowship after completing my 2nd year of the PhD program in Anthropology at Emory University. My research examined the coping strategies used by Nubians, a minority ethnic group in Egypt, to address mental disease. In particular, it considered the ways that this community utilized religious ideologies and spiritual practices as a means of enhancing well-being and reducing the risk of psychological disorder. Because of my training in the International Health Program, I am able to frame my analysis of their situation within a larger socio-cultural context. Whereas before the focal point of my examination was the individual and household levels, it has now broadened to include the regional and population levels. By doing so, I am able to account for the way structural factors shape the health status of individuals at the community level.


The fellowship year challenged me to think about the applicability of my research to non-academic environments. As I searched for viable solutions to the health problems facing communities in the contemporary world, it became evident that a combination of the qualitative tools of anthropology and the quantitative approaches of public health are necessary. Because of my coursework in epidemiology, statistics, and anthropology, I am more informed about the ways that we can use the knowledge of these disciplines for a more systematic investigation of issues. Not only will a cross-disciplinary approach assist in the development, implementation, and monitoring of programs, but it will enhance the lives of individuals and communities.


This past year as a fellow has been rewarding. My participation in the Religion and Health seminar, the lectures sponsored by CHCS, the seminars hosted by the Center for Research on Health Disparities, and the coursework have transformed my dissertation research. Because of this experience, I believe that my project is more comprehensive and will provide a more nuanced understanding of psychological health in a resource poor setting, such as Egypt. Moreover, I am confident that my study will have greater meaning for me and significance for others."

 

DeKeely Hartsfield

"As a Health Policy student in the School of Public Health, my studies focused on the legislation, policies and governmental programs that comprise the fundamental core of U.S. public health and health care systems. Throughout my coursework, it became apparent that although many dollars were being spent on improving the health of the nation, and much had being accomplished-the challenges faced by certain segments of the population remained perverse. Noting that the socioeconomic and political marginalization of women, and ethnic and racial minorities perpetuates these populations' disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality, I was eager to explore how sex, status, class, race and ethnicity become operational barriers in our health care and public health systems.


In keeping with the multidisciplinary approach of public health-which employs epidemiology, health education and promotion, statistics and policy-I sought out the Center for Health, Culture, and Society Fellowship to expand the scope of my analysis. During my matriculation in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, I gained a foundational knowledge of the development of societies and the delegation of power through coursework in Anthropology, and a clear understating of the institutionalization of inequality in the U.S. by engaging in an intriguing political science course entitled "African-Americans and Urban Policy". In completing coursework in the Law School I examined how the legal system is employed to address issues defined by sex, race and ethnicity, at its limitations, as well as the potential role of international human rights in improving the U.S. public health and health care systems.


As a fellow, my studies were broadened from the mere application of health policy and legislation, to the historical, cultural, political and social factors upon which they were built. My participation with the Center truly enriched my academic experience and has shaped my career path. Now serving as a Public Health Law Fellow at the CDC, I continue to explore multidisciplinary approaches to improving the public's health. I am sincerely grateful to the Center for the opportunity to explore the fundamental linkages between health, culture and society, and hope that through the Center, students and public health professionals will continue to acknowledge the value of employing a comprehensive approach."

Paula Jayne

"During one of our weekly Center for the Study of Health, Culture, and Society meetings, we discussed Georg Simmel's concept of "the stranger" or a trader, who, by traveling between cultures, is able to transport goods and ideas from one group to another. The trader's success is dependent upon her ability to speak multiple language and, above all else, I feel that my year with the Center strengthened my ability to listen and to speak to different academic fields of inquiry.

Prior to my CSHCS fellowship, I taught a class on the historical and cultural aspects of women's health as a graduate instructor in Emory's Women's Studies Department. I expected to be speaking mainly to women's studies, sociology, and medical anthropology students. Instead my classroom was filled with pre-professional health sciences students who found my lectures on the social context of, for example, testing and marketing contraception interesting, but who also wanted to know more about the specific mechanics of birth control. As we spoke about their questions, I realized again that research which investigates solely the cultural ideology of health may miss important aspects by not also considering the concurrent biology. While I strongly believe scholarship can be both rigorous and highly useful while remaining within one field of inquiry, I wanted my own work to be more interdisciplinary. My fellowship year helped me gain the skills to facilitate a classroom of health sciences, humanities, and social sciences students who would bring their specific training to a discussion of women's health as well as the skills to bring this multi-lensed analysis to my own research.

While at Rollins, my coursework included classes in Women's Health Policy, the Epidemiology of Women's Non-Reproductive Health, and the Technology of Fertility Control as well as core courses in epidemiology and biostatistics. In addition, interaction with other students forced me to learn to communicate concepts in a different language. In an oversimplification that nevertheless holds some truth: the graduate school taught me the value of theory while the faculty and students at Rollins taught me the urgency of praxis. The technical skills I gained, combined with my graduate training in women's studies, led me to a summer internship in Montana working on a CDC sponsored new mother survey which has developed into the base of my dissertation research.

The Center plays an integral part in helping to encourage more scholars and students to act as 'traders' not only within the many academic centers of Emory University but with the broader academic and public service communities. I am truly thankful they provided me with the opportunity to work with them toward this goal."


Current Fellows

Reports of Past Fellows