I am a PhD Candidate studying illegal hunting and public health in Madagascar. I received my MA in Anthropology in 2016 at Stony Brook University, where I am currently a medical anthropologist within the Global Health Institute. I received my BS in Community, Environment and Development and my BA in Anthropology from the Pennsylvania State University in 2014.
I believe that addressing the needs of local populations (including food security, access to medical and educational institutions, and safe, reliable employment) is vital to advancing conservation efforts, both in Madagascar and around the world. My work uses a combination of ethnographic interviews, dietary journals, and zooarcheological resources to understand the factors that drive the hunting and consumption of wild animals in Madagascar. I want to generate a more comprehensive knowledge of how people respond to dietary and economic stress, as well as to assess the intensity of hunting within and around Kirindy Mitea National Park. I believe such data is necessary for the creation of effective policy that benefits people and wildlife.
I am the executive director of Amani Children's Home in northern Tanzania and actively run operations on site. A National Science Foundation and Kalpana Launchpad Safina Center Fellow, I also work to integrate my humanitarian and academic work with graphic design. As a published, free-lance scientific illustrator I use visual arts to communicate research across literal and linguistic boundaries.
Illustrative Work
Cover art for International Journal of Primatology: April 2016
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] Mailing Address: Katharine Thompson The Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences (IDPAS) Dept. of Anthropology, Stony Brook University Circle Road, SBS Bldg S-501 Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364