Adrienne Strong, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Anthropology

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

2024 Awardee

Adrienne Strong has spent her career studying the conditions and dynamics of care in biomedical health facilities. That research interest propelled her to become a leader in the field of medical anthropology, aiming to address prominent social issues in the field of medicine.

“The impetus for all my research is a desire to understand and reveal drivers of inequity that produce health disparities,” Strong says. “Through understanding hospital power dynamics and processes, I contribute innovative theoretical insight and actionable recommendations aimed at changing health care delivery to improve the lives of individuals and communities.”

Strong’s primary field sites are in Tanzania, a populous East African nation. She has conducted research in five regions, with one project earning her an National Science Foundation Cultural Anthropology Senior Award for a project on pain-care practices. Strong is working on her second book, which covers the lives of nurse midwives and the evolving nursing profession in the country. Her most recent research proposal also involves Tanzania, where she hopes to spend the next three years studying human milk donation.

Strong travels frequently to share her work at conferences around the world. Most recently, she has been invited to speak on a panel at the annual Health Systems Research symposium in Nagasaki, Japan later this year — a highly competitive invitation. Her funding and awards include multiple NSF grants and the Society for Medical Anthropology’s Eileen Basker Memorial Prize for research on gender and health in recognition of her first book, “Documenting Death.”

“She is a leader in her field,” says Peter Collings, an associate professor and anthropology department chair. “Her work has drawn national and international attention both for the quality of the research and the broader impacts it has on anthropological practice, medical care, and policy development.”