The SMA Mentorship Program supports a more connected and accountable community across institutions, ranks, and research traditions in medical anthropology. The program links emerging scholars with experienced anthropologists whose work aligns with their interests in health, medicine, care, and the social worlds that shape them. Pairings are based on thematic commitments, methodological affinities, geographic expertise, subfield orientation, and mentee-identified preferences. Mentor–mentee pairs will meet via Zoom in September to establish expectations and set the groundwork for sustained communication throughout the year.
The SMA Mentorship Program recognizes that medical anthropologists work—and live—within vastly different professional and personal circumstances. Our members are based in research universities, teaching-focused colleges, community organizations, health institutions, and NGOs. Our aim is to honor the full range of pathways in the field and to ensure that each participant is matched with a mentor whose experience and commitments resonate with their needs.
The Program is:
- Open to graduate students at any stage, postdoctoral scholars, and mid-career faculty
- Free to join (no AAA membership required)
- AAA Annual Meeting attendance not required
Mentorship Streams:
- Graduate Students & Postdocs:
Designed for those developing dissertation projects, navigating the job market, or building early research agendas. Applicants from all subfields of medical anthropology—and from adjacent areas such as public health, STS, disability studies, environmental studies, and area studies—are encouraged to participate. - Mid-Career Scholars:
This stream supports associate-level faculty and advanced lecturers/instructors who are negotiating promotion, shifting research programs, taking on significant service or administrative roles, or navigating a return to research after caregiving commitments or institutional change. Mentoring pairs will focus on strategic career planning, sustaining research under constrained conditions, and navigating the demands of caregiving in the context of academic life.
Fellows will be paired with faculty mentors for a year-long mentoring relationship running from September 2026 through August 2027. Please apply by May 1, 2026.