Cecilia Van Hollen

Cecilia Van Hollen is a Teaching Professor in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and teaches in the Science, Technology and International Affairs program. Her research focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of health, medicine, and global health policy in South Asia, with a particular emphasis on gender, caste, and class in India. She holds a PhD in Medical Anthropology from UC Berkeley/UCSF, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Brown University.

• Education:
  • PhD in Medical Anthropology, University of California-Berkeley and UCSF
  • MA in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
  • BA in Religious Studies and Anthropology, Brown University

Her research explores intersections of gender, class, and caste through studies of maternal healthcare, HIV/AIDS, and cancer care in Tamil Nadu. She bridges anthropological theory with global health policy insights, aiming to influence policymakers. Notable works include Cancer and the Kali Yuga (2022) and Birth in the Age of AIDS (2013), which have received accolades such as the Coomaraswamy Book Prize.

Van Hollen’s awards include Fulbright and AIIS fellowships, and grants from Princeton’s Institute for Citizens and Scholars. She previously led the Anthropology program at Yale-NUS College and taught at Syracuse University and Notre Dame.

Her current research includes a biography of missionary Reverend Miron Winslow, highlighting early Tamil-English linguistic contributions. She maintains an active academic website at ceciliavanhollen.com.