Our Department of Anthropology has a robust medical anthropology expertise with 4 research faculty specializing in this large and expanding field. Current trends in education and employment show a growing need for medical anthropology and global health knowledge and expertise in a variety of national and international career directions. As societies and communities are increasingly multicultural and healthcare must adapt to this trend, medical school, nursing, and other health programs consider emphasis in medical anthropology an asset in applications to their programs.

How to study medical anthropology at UCF?

There are 3 excellent ways – our department these offers 3 programs:

• Medical Anthropology Minor: 18 credits
  • For any major, except anthropology, (sorry anthro students!)
  • About half of enrolled students are in pre-health majors (biomedical sciences, biology, etc.), and the other half from a variety of majors in social sciences and humanities
• Global Health Certificate: 15 credits
  • For any major
  • Many students in the Certificate are anthropology majors and in pre-health majors, but we also have a variety of students from social sciences and humanities
• Global Health Internship – Mare Brignol, Haiti: 3 research credits (1 semester & 2 wks)
  • Suspended since F20 due to COVID-19 as well as political instability in Haiti, but we hope to resume in later 2022 or as soon as it’s safe.

NEW:
Please note we’ll be teaching several new or updated medical anthropology courses in F20 and S21 that may not be listed on the course lists for the above programs. That’s because it takes a long time to update these lists, unfortunately. The new (or updated) courses that count toward the above programs include:

• ANT 4081: Science, Technology, and Culture. Taught by Shana Harris. Offered in odd spring, from S21.
• ANT 4481: Anthropology of Drugs and Addiction. Taught by Shana Harris.
• ANT 4482: Anthropology of Mental Health. Taught by Beatriz Reyes-Foster.
• ANT 4462: Medical Anthropology. Update: Nessette Falu teaches this course since F19. Offered every fall.

I encourage you to also browse the Society for Medical Anthropology website – the top national organization in this field – and the Society for Applied Anthropology site.