Early in life, I was fortunate to travel widely to East Africa, South Asia, and 49 U.S. states which created an awareness of our world's cultural and environmental diversity through time and space. As a teen, I was interested in health and nutrition, as well as the travels, which influenced me to pursue degrees in medical and nutritional anthropology so as to do projects to improve these areas for people. This training included both medical health sciences and social science theory in a manner that allowed thinking outside the boxes or silos of our healthcare, education, political, economic and philosophical systems, although not lacking systematic rigor.

From this background, I did among the first baseline health, nutrition and socio-economic surveys to help plan a conservation-development park project in the southeastern cloud forest of Madagascar. I taught at the University of Massachusetts, University of Georgia, Davidson College, Appalachia State University, and the University of North Carolina--Asheville. In more recent years, I've done healthcare quality improvement and health-related legal work in rural southernmost Illinois. QI topics included access to care, health disparities, diabetes and other chronic condition case management, oral health/systemic health, electronic medical record implementation/QI, health information exchange and privacy/security policy. During the past couple years, I've examined environmental health issues associated with the extractive energy industries in southern Illinois and nationwide. My independent research also includes comparing food security, land/resource grabs, and extractive energy industry environmental pollution issues in Madagascar, southern Illinois, and the broader global context.

I love outdoor travel and reside in the woods near a rural southern Illinois state park. I participate in local music, arts and outdoor activities.

Need help with a health related research or photo-journalism project? Contact me!