Courtney Meehan

Courtney Meehan is the Interim Dean and Professor of Anthropology at Washington State University (WSU), affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from WSU and leads the Biocultural Anthropology Lab. Her research focuses on maternal-child health, human milk composition, and the evolution of childhood, with a transdisciplinary approach spanning sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America, and Europe.

Her work explores interactions between evolution, culture, behavior, and biology in maternal-child health. Current projects include studying cannabis use during lactation, human microbiomes, parental caregiving patterns, and SARS-CoV-2 impacts on breastfeeding. She collaborates with global teams of anthropologists, microbiologists, and computational biologists.

Key research themes include human cooperative childcare, child growth, and the socioecological factors influencing infant health. Meehan has advised multiple graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, contributing to over 50 peer-reviewed publications. Her lab focuses on applied health research with global implications for maternal and child well-being.

She leads initiatives like the INSPIRE study on human milk composition and the MIMBES study on maternal-infant microbiomes. Her work informs public health policies, particularly during pandemics such as COVID-19. Meehan’s research bridges biocultural anthropology with modern health challenges, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world impact.