معرفی
Dr. Francoise Barbira-Freedman is an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at Clare Hall. Her research focuses on medical anthropology, shamanism, and ethnobotany in Amazonian regions (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia), with a particular emphasis on ethnographic studies of childbirth and gentle parenting practices among the Keshwa Lamas forest people of Peru.
Her work explores the intersection of traditional Amazonian knowledge systems with global healthcare, including the development of a natural painkiller derived from an Incan toothache remedy. She founded the ethical company Ampika Ltd to commercialize this innovation while ensuring profits are reinvested in the Keshwa Lamas community for conservation of medicinal plants. Key research projects include studies on Amazonian gentle parenting and medical knowledge systems.
Scientific recognition includes the Newman Award (2010) for her contributions to aquatic parenting practices. She contributes to interdisciplinary research clusters at Cambridge, including Environment, Infrastructure, and Care, as well as Political Life, Crisis, and Possibilities.
