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I am a medical anthropologist and a specialist in public health. My regional expertise is the field of Japanese studies.

My principal research examines the lived experiences and narratives of elderly patients with degenerative diseases in urban Japan, and the nurses, physicians, and family members who care for them. This work often focuses on documenting and analyzing individual and societal perceptions of regenerative medicine – the development and application of native and induced stem cells to repair damaged organs, tissue, and cells – investigating biomedicine through the lens of cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary methodologies. My research highlights connections, disjunctures, and conceptual overlaps between these cellular engineering procedures, traditional medicine/treatments (kampō), and folk rituals repurposed for novel health outcomes. It explores how both patients and practitioners conceive of and interact with the current and potential uses of said treatments. I utilize a methodology of long-term immersive participant observation fieldwork, working one-on-one embedded with individuals, families, and institutions over prolonged periods of time. Prior research includes a yearlong examination of patient experiences in a Kagoshima dialysis clinic. 

Concurrent to  the above, I am also working in a newer project in the northern Tohoku region of Japan, surveying infrastructure and interviewing individuals in local communities along approx. 100 miles of coastline about their views on post-2011 tsunami recovery efforts, particularly focusing on individual, mental, and public health impacts of new disaster management initiatives.

In the classroom, I am always keen to demonstrate how anthropology can be directly utilized in real-world applications and scenarios. I strive to help all students discover that regardless of your major, experience, or intended career, anthropology can be useful to you, both now and in the future.