Kristin Yarris

Kristin Yarris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Oregon, where she also serves as the Department Head of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She holds a PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology from UCLA (2011) alongside an MPH in Community Health Sciences and two MAs in Anthropology and Latin American Studies from UCLA. Her research focuses on transnational migration, immigrant rights, health equity, and global mental health. Key projects include studies on Nicaraguan transnational families, migrant justice movements, and the impacts of transit migration through Mexico. She co-edited Accompaniment with Im/migrant Communities: Engaged Ethnography (2024) and authored Care Across Generations: Solidarity and Sacrifice in Transnational Families (2017), which explores intergenerational caregiving in migrant families.

Yarris teaches courses on global health, migration, and feminist studies, emphasizing political-economic determinants of health disparities. Her community engagement includes roles on the Lane County Board of Health Public Health Advisory Committee and the Oregon Health Authority Health Equity Committee. She has received prestigious awards, including the 2015 Stirling Prize and 2009 Condon Prize from the Society for Psychological Anthropology. Her work bridges academia and public policy, addressing issues like immigrant inclusion, mental health equity, and health disparities through collaborative, community-centered research.

Yarris mentors students in global health, migration studies, and social justice, with advisees focusing on topics like reproductive health in Nicaragua, mental health among disaster survivors, and undocumented student experiences. Her research often involves interdisciplinary collaborations, including projects with the University of Northern Colorado and the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County.