Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplin

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In 2009, the discipline of Medical Anthropology will celebrate 50 years of existence. Medical Anthropology is broadly defined as the study of health, illness and health care through time and across cultural settings. Over the past 50 years, the field of Medical Anthropology has focused on many of the most pressing issues facing humanity including global pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, maternal and infant mortality, child survival, political violence and trauma, and the ethical and moral dimensions of globalizing medical technologies. From its inception, Medical Anthropology has been described as a synthetic discipline, engaging fruitfully with health sciences, social sciences and the humanities. In October of 2009, faculty at the University of Michigan, in conjunction with Society for Medical Anthropology, will host a three day international conference devoted to celebrating both the accomplishments and the interdisciplinary of Medical Anthropology. This conference, "Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplinarity" will be held on the University of Michigan campus. The conference will bring together University of Michigan faculty and students working in Medical Anthropology and related disciplines, as well as a global community of medical anthropologists, including members of the Society for Medical Anthropology. Through plenary sessions, panel discussions and poster presentations, this conference will address some of the key areas of intersection that medical anthropologists and their cross-disciplinary colleagues are working on. These areas include: global public health, science and technology studies, genetics and genomics, bioethics, public policy, social work, occupational science and disability studies, medical history, gender studies and area studies. As a discipline that considers the broader social and cultural context of health and illness, Medical Anthropology can play a vital role in understanding and addressing the most pressing public health concerns of our current era. By bringing together a community of medical anthropologists and their colleagues from related disciplines, the conference "Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplinarity" will provide an important venue for developing new interdisciplinary public health strategies in both a global and local context.