Anna Rivara, PhD, MPH

I am an evolutionary anthropologist that focuses on human biology, and the evolution of health and disease in modern populations. My research aims are to better understand how immune and metabolic responses, in association with poverty and gendered pressures, construct non-communicable and infectious diseases in women, and perpetuate poor health outcomes. My background is in Applied Biological Anthropology, Public Health, and African Studies. Currently I work with Yale University's Olaga Research Lab in Samoa studying inflammation, non-communicable diseases, and physical activity. My previous work has taken me to Brazil to study the interactions between parasitism and reproductive health in women of the Kalunga quilombo, and to Tanzania to study the impact of HIV on children and family structures.