Barry Saunders

Barry Saunders is Associate Professor in Social Medicine at UNC Chapel Hill's School of Medicine, with adjunct appointments in Anthropology, Religious Studies, and Communication. Trained in internal medicine and cultural anthropology, his interdisciplinary research examines biomedical knowledge production through frameworks from science studies and philosophy.

His scholarship analyzes diagnostic practices, visualization technologies, and the epistemological foundations of evidence-based medicine. Saunders' ethnographic work, including the book CT Suite: The Work of Diagnosis in the Age of Noninvasive Cutting, explores how imaging technologies transform disease conceptualization and clinical decision-making.

He teaches courses on medical professionalization and healthcare systems, directing the Scholarly Concentration in Humanities & Social Sciences for medical students. Previously practiced emergency medicine for 20 years at Chatham Hospital.