SCHOLARS@TAMU

Dr. Hopkins is a medical and ecological anthropologist specializing in interdisciplinary research on the connections between globalization and/or social relationships and human health. Specifically, she focuses on understanding the knowledge people have about local resources, how that knowledge relates to their behavior, what factors are associated with variation in their knowledge and behavior, and ultimately how that relates to health. She researches these issues in varying contexts, with different populations, types of knowledge and factors at play. Additionally, the theoretical and methodological approaches she uses are varied and depend on the research question and the strengths of the research team. For example, Hopkins is collaborating with colleagues on a study focused on smoking relapse prevention. She is using social network theory and methods to capture the composition and changes in the social networks of recently quit smokers in the United States, how their networks relate to their ability to stay quit, and how information on smoking cessation spreads through their networks. Most recently Dr. Hopkins started a mixed-methods project guided theoretical by cognitive anthropology to examine the conditions under which different models of social change, including educational models, are effective at reducing poverty and increasing wellbeing and food sovereignty in the Yucatan.