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Alexandra Brewis and Emily Mendenhall Ph.D.

About

Alexandra Brewis, Ph.D., is an anthropologist and President’s Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. She founded the Center for Global Health at Arizona State University in 2006, is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and has served as president of the Human Biology Association. Particularly concerned with how culture, health, and human biology collide, she has conducted field research across the globe, addressing such topics as infertility, depression, malnutrition, obesity, and stigma. She has written five books and over 150 scientific research articles. Emily Mendenhall, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a medical anthropologist and Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She has published widely at the boundaries of anthropology, psychology, medicine, and public health. Mendenhall is the author of Syndemic Suffering (2012), Global Mental Health (2015), Rethinking Diabetes (2019), and Unmasked (2022). In 2017, she led a Series in The Lancet on syndemics—a theory of how and why social and health conditions travel together. Her other writing addresses mental health, cultural idioms of distress, health politics and systems, migration and health, and flourishing. In 2017 Mendenhall was awarded the George Foster Award for Practicing Medical Anthropology by the Society for Medical Anthropology and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2023. She is also co-editor-in-Chief of SSM-Mental Health.

Recent Posts
Trauma Lingers for Frontline Nurses
Frontline workers were confronted with extraordinary suffering during the first year of the pandemic. Many carry emotional trauma from that time with them today.
The Profound Suffering of Chronic Itching

Chronic itching hurts emotionally as well as physically. New drug treatments offer hope—but addressing the social stigma of scratching is needed, too.

Chronic itching hurts emotionally as well as physically. New drug treatments offer hope—but addressing the social stigma of scratching is needed, too.

Learning About Long COVID From Other "Invisible" Illnesses

Seeing is believing, which is a big problem for those living with the extreme fatigue of long COVID and other "invisible" conditions.

Seeing is believing, which is a big problem for those living with the extreme fatigue of long COVID and other "invisible" conditions.

Monkeypox and the Dangers of "Stigma Power"

Monkeypox is on the rise. For some politicians, the opportunity to spread fear about infection can be a windfall.

Monkeypox is on the rise. For some politicians, the opportunity to spread fear about infection can be a windfall.

Fails at Reducing Menstrual Stigma

We need to reduce menstrual stigma. But the policy efforts fall short. Stigma is why.

We need to reduce menstrual stigma. But the policy efforts fall short. Stigma is why.

Understanding the Choice Not to Mask

Refusing to mask isn't just personal; it's cultural. An anthropologist explains why.

Refusing to mask isn't just personal; it's cultural. An anthropologist explains why.

Weight Stigma and “Covesity”

Teasing about weight seems to impede efforts to eat healthy and exercise. A new study shows consistent results across six countries.

Teasing about weight seems to impede efforts to eat healthy and exercise. A new study shows consistent results across six countries.