معرفی
Dr. Amy Nichols-Belo serves as Associate Professor of Global Health Studies and Anthropology and Chair of the International and Global Studies Department at Mercer University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Since joining Mercer in 2014, she has led international study programs to Cuba, Tanzania, and South Africa, integrating experiential learning with academic rigor.
Her educational background includes:
- Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Virginia
- M.S. in Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Tech
- B.A. in History and International Affairs, James Madison University
Dr. Nichols-Belo's research critically examines intersections of health, tradition, gender, and belief systems, with specialized focus on witchcraft beliefs and anti-witchcraft practices in Mwanza, Tanzania. Her work bridges medical anthropology and global health policy, analyzing how traditional healing coexists with biomedical systems amid political transformations. This scholarship actively challenges Western-centric health paradigms through East African ethnographic lenses.
Recent publications analyze healing knowledge politics in Tanzania and review scholarly interpretations of Tanzanian folklore, revealing persistent themes of cultural sovereignty in health discourse and decolonizing global health frameworks. Her research consistently centers local epistemologies within transnational health debates.
No scientific awards are documented in available sources.
She mentors students through co-leading Mercer On Mission programs (Tanzania 2016/2018, South Africa 2017) and Cuban healthcare study tours (2018, 2020), facilitating immersive fieldwork in global health systems. These initiatives emphasize community-engaged learning and cross-cultural health analysis.
Her international teams collaborate with Tanzanian and Cuban health practitioners, examining traditional-modern medical syncretism while addressing maternal health and gender equity challenges in resource-limited settings.
