Very broadly, I’m interested in biocultural approaches to studying nutritional anthropology. This interest centers on archaeological and present day consumption of food whether it is what foods people choose to eat or the biological and social consequences of their food choices. Additionally, I’m interested in the environmental and social constraints on food choices and how constraints can be manipulated to influence overall health and wellbeing. Other broad issues of interest include biological consequences of rapid social and diet change, biological consequences of food insecurity and poverty, health disparities and child growth. Ultimately, I find that immigrant/refugee experiences present the opportunity to investigate the above issues.

I am currently working on my PhD in nutritional/biocultural anthropology after a 10 year break from doing my master's degree in paleoethnobotany. For my master's research I studied the diet of the Inka and pre-Inka using coprolites from an archaeological site near Arica, Chile. During the break in my education, I enjoyed teaching anthropology and English as a Second Language courses. My current research investigates the health consequences of food insecurity and poverty among former Sudanese refugees in the United States.