Syracuse University Scholar Honored by the American Anthropological Association

Sandra D. Lane, the Laura and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Public Health and Anthropology at Syracuse University in New York, was presented with the George Foster Award for Practicing Medical Anthropology from the American Anthropological Association. The award was presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to applying theory and methods in diverse contexts that demonstrate a significant impact on policy.

Along with Robert A. Rubinstein, distinguished professor of anthropology in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, Dr. Lane developed a model that links the community-participatory analysis of public policy with pedagogy, known as Community Action Research and Education, or CARE projects. This model integrates action anthropology and community-based participatory research with teaching by bringing students out of the classroom to address health disparities in their communities.

Dr. Lane’s current areas of research focus include the impact of racial, ethnic and gender disadvantage on maternal, child, and family health in urban areas of the United States and the Middle East. She also serves as a research professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Upstate Medical University. Dr. Lane is the author of Why Are Our Babies Dying? Pregnancy, Birth and Death in America (Routledge, 2008).

Professor Lane received her Ph.D. in medical anthropology from the joint program at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a master of public health degree in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley.