Carolyn Smith-Morris

Dr. Carolyn Smith-Morris is an Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University, specializing in medical anthropology with expertise in chronic and complex illnesses, particularly diabetes. Her research employs mixed methodologies including community-based participatory research, program evaluation, and health services research among minority and Indigenous communities across Ecuador, Arizona, Australia, Mexico, and the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. She has led collaborative teams in diverse settings and specializes in training community health workers.

Education includes a B.A. in Anthropology from Emory University, M.S. in Rehabilitation Services from Florida State University, and M.A./Ph.D. in Anthropology from The University of Arizona.

Research interests focus on medical anthropology, chronic illness management, Indigenous health systems, community-based interventions, health equity, and cultural perspectives on diagnostics. Her work critically examines strategies for addressing neighborhood-based stigma, values of community-centered care, and decolonizing healthcare approaches.

Her publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Indigenous health, diabetes management, community engagement methodologies, and diagnostic controversies. Recent articles explore pandemic vulnerability in Amazonian communities, Indigenous media infrastructure, culinary medicine trials, and structural violence in healthcare. The research spans anthropology, public health, media studies, and clinical interventions, emphasizing participatory approaches and cultural context.

Dr. Smith-Morris has published extensively in journals including Social Science & Medicine and Medical Anthropology Quarterly, and authored five books covering Indigenous communalism, diabetes among the Pima, diagnostic controversies, and chronic illness narratives.

She directs graduate training in mixed-methods research and collaborates with community partners to develop culturally responsive health interventions. Current projects include NSF-funded studies on COVID-19 stigma in Dallas neighborhoods and GoogleHealth-funded research on diabetic retinopathy screening equity.