Alejandra Marks

Dr. Alejandra Marks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Her research focuses on reproductive healthcare and social movements in Latin America, particularly examining the intersection of abortion access, kinship, pharmaceuticals, activism, and inequality. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Cuba and Brazil, including a collaboration with the National School of Public Health in Havana.

Her expertise spans Medical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and broader anthropological disciplines. Current research explores how pill-based abortion is reshaping reproductive care across the Americas, comparing experiences in Cuba and Brazil. She investigates how private-sector abortion practices influence societal perceptions and healthcare delivery, including the role of unlicensed sellers and the impact of casas maternas (pregnancy support centers) on maternal health.

Dr. Marks has been awarded prestigious grants, including the Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, a National Institutes of Health grant, and a Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies from the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. These grants underscore the significance of her work in advancing understandings of reproductive justice and healthcare equity.

Her teaching includes courses like Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, and Fertility, Reproduction, and Birth. Her scholarship bridges academic rigor with real-world activism, highlighting the urgent need for equitable reproductive care policies.