Nancy Chen, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, will take on the position of Associate Dean for Health, Wellbeing and Society. In this capacity Nancy will lead the division's efforts to, as she puts it, "promote the incredible work of our faculty and students, and render visible UCSC's unique contributions to these topics in the coming years."
As a medical anthropologist, Prof. Chen critically examines healing practices and health institutions. Her teaching specialties include medical anthropology and food and culture, and areas of research include food and medicine, Chinese biotechnology, mental health and cross-cultural psychiatry, traditional and alternative healing practices. As current chair of the Department of Anthropology and former inaugural director of the Blum Center at UC Santa Cruz, she is therefore well suited, academically and administratively, to take on this role.
The appointment was announced to the public on July 12, 2018 by Division of Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell. Best of luck to Nancy as she takes on this important executive role in the Division.
