Rebecca Lester

Rebecca Lester is a Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology and Assistant Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs and Diversity at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a PhD from the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on embodiment, existential distress, and cultural practices of self-cultivation, with key projects addressing eating disorders, Latina teen suicide, and polyamory in late capitalism. Her clinical work as a licensed social worker (LCSW) integrates anthropological insights with mental health care, specializing in eating disorders, mood disorders, and alternative relationship dynamics. She has authored influential books like Famished: Eating Disorders and Failed Care in America (2019) and Jesus in Our Wombs (2005), earning awards such as the Victor Turner Prize and Ellen Basker Prize.

Lester’s academic contributions span peer-reviewed articles, special journal issues, and public-facing publications. Her work critiques healthcare systems and explores how cultural meanings shape individual experiences. Notable grants include an NIMH R01 grant for studying Latina teen suicide. She also advocates for mental health in academia and offers teletherapy services as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Her current research examines polyamory as a response to economic precarity, linking intimate practices to broader societal shifts. She balances academic leadership with clinical practice, emphasizing collaboration over pathologization in therapeutic approaches.