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Applied Collaborative Biomedical Anthropology in a State Health Department Setting
Author(s) -
Olsen Carolyn L.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
medical anthropology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-1387
pISSN - 0745-5194
DOI - 10.1525/maq.1989.3.4.02a00050
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , specialty , sociology , state (computer science) , health department , engineering ethics , medical education , public relations , medicine , anthropology , nursing , political science , public health , family medicine , computer science , engineering , algorithm
State health departments offer a diversity of collaborative research opportunities for biological anthropologists. This article discusses some of the issues one may confront in conducting collaborative biomedical research in this kind of setting, drawing on my experiences in the New York State Department of Health. Unlike an academic setting, the choice of a research topic is likely to depend upon the bureau in which one works and not solely on one's interests or prior specialty in biological anthropology. Though findings may not be publishable in anthropological journals, one can contribute to the literature of other disciplines. It is relatively easy to find collaborators from other disciplines, both inside and outside the health department, and collaboration has significantly broadened my knowledge.