The Distant Early Warning Line Radar Site at Point Barrow, Alaska
Photo by Tess Lanzarotta, July 2017
I am a historian of medicine and Native North America and an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Denison University.
I received my PhD from Yale University’s Program in the History of Science and Medicine in 2018. Before pursuing my doctorate, I earned a BA in History and an MA in the History of Medicine from McGill University.
My current research explores the history of biomedical research and public health in postwar Alaska and traces the connections between settler colonial biomedicine and American imperialism overseas. Broadly speaking, my work brings the study of settler colonialism and indigeneity into dialogue with histories of science, medicine, empire, and economy. I maintain a particular interest in examining the ethical obligations, complex relationships, and forms of harm that are generated during research encounters—whether they be biomedical, anthropological, scientific, or historical. While primarily trained as a historian, my research and teaching engages with Indigenous studies, settler colonial studies, medical anthropology, and science and technology studies.
I’m from Nanaimo, British Columbia and live in Columbus, Ohio with my cat, Phoebe.