sNAPAshots: Corliss Heath

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Transcript

Credits 0:06
Welcome to sNAPAhots, conversations with professional, practicing, and applied anthropologists.

Speaker 1 0:12
[On Screen Text] Corliss Heath, Medical Anthropologist, Founder & CEO, Save Inc.

Corliss Heath 0:23
The My background is in HIV and AIDS, and so with the work that I do for the federal government, working in HIV and AIDS, really, I take a practical approach making sure that individuals have culturally responsive prevention, intervention and treatment of HIV care, but with that, really making sure that I take the tools that I have learned as a medical anthropologist and that individuals are able to shape and tell their own stories as we actually employ that HIV care. So that’s the short story. I also do Community Consultant [work], really teaching within the community. I’m also a preacher, so that’s why I say I’ll do a little bit of it all, but taking all of that in an interdisciplinary approach, to take it as a holistic approach, in terms of human services.

Interviewer 1:45
[On Screen Text] How has the Anthropological mindset enhanced your contribution to your workplace?

Corliss Heath 1:51
In terms of everything that I do, I take everything that I have learned, you know, like I say, I have an interdisciplinary background, you know, I have a background in public health. I have a message in public health. I have a Masters of divinity. And so with anthropology, it’s, it’s that it was that missing piece of the public puzzle that had now helped me bring a holistic approach to everything that I do. You can’t do anything without the voices of the community. It’s not just a matter of going in and telling the community what you’re going to do, but you have to engage the community before you take the programs to the community, and then once you do the programs, you have to go back and take the programs, you have to go back and take the work to the community and show the community what you have done, you know, so really making sure that everything you do is or everything that I do is holistic and it’s full circle. And really have taken all of that and understanding that those anthropological methods, the anthropological theory, is important from the beginning to the end, as well as inclusive in the middle as well.

Interviewer 3:14
[On Screen Text] Syndemic theory explains that conditions may interact and be made worse by social, economic, and environmental factors increasing burden and health disparities.

Corliss Heath 3:22
Meryl singer came up with syndemic theory, and so understanding that with syndemic theory, we have these co occurring conditions. And so it’s not just about looking at one aspect of HIV, but understanding that there are so many different layers, or so many different aspects of how HIV works together. So it’s HIV, and then we have these co occurring conditions. It’s it’s a matter of looking at the social, the cultural, the environmental, all of that…it’s not a either or, but it’s all of that. Sometimes we have to take anthropological theories that are out there and reshape them so that they will be more useful in the populations that we are working with. We talk about this epidemic and we talk about ending the epidemic, but we have to understand that we cannot, or we will not, end the epidemic until we have included all the voices that the epidemic impacts. And so when we look at anthropology, anthropology, includes engaging all the voices of the problem. You know, we can’t in the epidemic if we’re not engaging the actual community of who the epidemic. Uh, impacts if it’s not just a select few.

Interviewer 4:54
[On Screen Text] What is something no one told you as a student?

Corliss Heath 5:06
So what I see is, when I go to some some conferences in the there are other people who go into the field, and they collect the data, and then they write the stories. But we have to allow individuals to tell their own stories, and that’s something that I am a very much proponent of, allowing people with lived experience to tell their own stories. And as I say, that is just really helping individuals understand that…it’s important to shape and write their own narratives. You know, sometimes we won’t get respect. You know, one of the things that I often say everyone needs a good anthropologist on their team. You know, I often say that at work, everyone needs a good anthropologist on their team, because we see the world differently. That is not something that was told to me. That is something that I would tell others. You know, I may do it a little different, you know, because of, you know, the conditions that we’re in, you know, but I’m going to continue to keep doing it, because, again, like I say, it’s ministry, you know, this is my calling. You know, I got called to ministry, to preach the gospel, and I’ve also, I was also called to be a practicing anthropologist to ensure that, you know, people are able to, like I say, tell their stories shape and be able to tell the stories in their own voices.

Interviewer 6:59
[On Screen Text] Do you recall a moment that changed the way you practice anthropology?

Corliss Heath 6:59
My dissertation focused on black women, college educated black women and middle class black women, their perceptions of HIV risk, you know. And the thing about it was I was told that that was a population that did not exist. But what I realized, not only was it a population that existed, this was a much needed study that needed to be done, and having conversations with the women, I realized that so many times they said, no one ever asked our opinion, nobody, no one has ever asked what we thought. No one ever speaks to us because they don’t think that we exist. And so that changed my view of anthropology so many times there are populations that are left out. This was this needed to be an anthropological project in order to hear the voices of individuals that have been silenced. Instead of just looking for data, or trying to collect data of people that we think we need to find the numbers of, for. You know, anthropology allows us to hear the voices of individuals who need to be heard.

Interviewer 7:02
[On Screen Text] What advice would you give future anthropologists seeking roles in profession, practicing, and applied fields?

Corliss Heath 8:19
I think when I was in school, I actually wanted to go into academia and teach. I actually was not trying to be a practicing anthropologist. So my views from when I was in school to now have practice have actually changed. I think I would, myself as a student over 10 years ago, I would tell myself to look at different options. Don’t limit yourself to what it is that you would do as as an applied anthropologist or medical anthropologist, but explore all the options that you can as a practicing anthropologist. Know that, yes, you can teach, but there are so many other places that you can go, and so many other places where you can make a great impact, because, once again, everyone needs a good anthropologist on their team.

Credits 9:49
PRODUCED BY Niel Tashima Cathleen Crain Joshua Liggett DIRECTED BY Reshama Damle EDITED BY Whitney Margaritis MUSIC VIA PIXABAY: “GOODNIGHT LOFI CRAZY CHILL” by FASSOUNDS, “MOVING ON LOFI” by SNOOZYBEATS ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE VIA PEXELS BY: ALENA DARMEL. COTTONBRO STUDIO, KAMPUS PRODUCTION, KETUT SUBIYANTO, PAVEL DANILYUK

Interviewer 9:51
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Speaker 1 9:58
[On Screen Text] Many Thanks to NAPA’s Governing Council for supporting sNAPAshots. NAPA is a section of the Anthropological Association.

Volunteer Plug 10:07
[On Screen Images] Starbursts with the words: Social Media, Organization, Promotions, and Events. [On Screen Text] Want to volunteer with NAPA? We’d love to hear from YOU! Contact: ntashima@ltgassociates.com

AAP Plug 10:20
[On Screen Text] Stay connected with 40 Years of The Annals of Anthropological Practice. [On Screen Image] AAP Cover Page. [On Screen Text] https://practicinganthropology.org/communicate/submit-to-the-annals/

Interviewer 10:30
sNAPAshots

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