Biography

I am a cultural anthropologist working in the areas of ethnomedicine, indigenous resource use, and medical anthropology. My ongoing research in Bolivia addresses the issues of women’s work, the marketing of traditional medicines, and the problem of intellectual property rights surrounding traditional medicines. This research will soon be published in my book, entitled New Cures, Old Medicines: Women and the Commercialization of Health in Bolivia, which is due out in February 2008. In Bolivia I have also been working with a group of traditional healers, academics, and lawyers who seek legal means to protect the rich array of Bolivian traditional medicines that are threatened by pharmaceutical applications. Along with this, I am interested in the politics and ecology of gathering wild plants and the corresponding cultural dynamics of vending communal resources. In anthropology I teach a variety of courses, from Introduction to General Anthropology, to Advanced Methods and Theory, to Indian of North America. My contribution to the Environmental Studies program is a class called Cultural Ecology, which now forms part of the curriculum for the water emphasis in ENVS.

I have been conducting research in Bolivia since 1990. During my twenty months of doctoral research on the southern Bolivian altiplano I addressed the topic of household economy through a consideration of exchange activities and gender. Living in this remote region of Bolivia where there is a rich mix of exchange activities (from marketing to barter, and llama caravan trading trips to the interaction with intermediaries) I highlighted women’s activities as strategies that help sustain their domestic economy.

Working at Western State College gives me a chance to work one on one with students. I appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of both anthropology and environmental studies, and exploring these topics with students. I also value experiential learning. In my “Cultural Ecology” course I combine ethnobotanical and ethnographic approaches to the study of humans’ interactions with plants. Using laboratory exercises I have students examine crop plants and herbal remedies from Bolivia as a way to understand ecological systems. I also enjoy teaching Medical Anthropology, which I teach from an ecological perspective.