Position
- Associate Professor (Fall 2019)
- Assistant Professor of Anthropology (2014 – 2019)
Department of Anthropology
Western Washington University
Education
- University of New Mexico
MA (2005), Ethnology & Linguistics
PhD. (2013), Ethnology & Linguistics
Dissertation: “Sowing Seeds for the Future to Honor Tigua History and Tradition”: Diabetes Prevention Practices at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
Committee: Dr. Les Field (Chair), Dr. Beverly Singer, Dr. Erin Debenport, Dr. Louise Lamphere, Dr. Nina Wallerstein
- University of Chicago
BA (1999), Anthropology & Latin American Studies
MA (2003), Master of Arts Program in the Social Science (focus on Federal Indian Law)
MA Thesis: Issues of Tigua Recognition: Negotiating Legal and Ethnic Identity on the U.S. – Mexico Border. Committee: Dr. Straus and Dr. FogelsonBA Thesis: From Failed Literacy Programs to a Pan-Indian Identity: The Role of Indigenismo in the Formation of the Mexican Indian, 1920-1940. B.A. Thesis. Advisor: Dr. Straus
I am a medical anthropologist at Western Washington University and use mixed-methods research to examine the intersections of identity and health. My primary research draws from public health and anthropology to test health interventions for Latinos living with chronic disease, examine gender-based disciplinary trends in anthropology, and document risky fieldwork practices, all with a critical eye on policies that impact underserved populations.
For a complete list of current projects, please check out my research page and download my Bruna-CV.