SMA Newsletter Editor: The SMA is planning to develop a new online newsletter (about 4 pages, 4 times a year, sent as an e-mail attachment). We are looking for a newsletter editor. This would be excellent for an advanced graduate student with a broad knowledge of medical anthropology. We are offering a stipend of $2,000 per year starting in January 2…013. If interested, please send me (dfeldman@brockport.edu, with a cc to ireneket@buffalo.edu) a cover letter detailing your experience or interest, and your c.v.
SMA Webmaster: The SMA needs a new webmaster. You definitely need webmaster experience to run the SMA website. This would also be very good for an advanced graduate student. We are offering a stipend of $7,500 per year starting no latter than November 2012 (possibly earlier, if available). If interested, please send me (dfeldman@brockport.edu, with a cc to ireneket@buffalo.edu) a cover letter detailing your experience, and your c.v.
Charles Hughes Graduate Student Paper Prize: Deadline: July 1, 2012. The Hughes Prize recognizes the best paper written by a graduate student in this or the preceding academic year and carries a $250 cash award. The journal Medical Anthropology Quarterly (MAQ) will have the right of first refusal on winning manuscripts. Winners serve on the judging committee in the following year’s competition. Send nominations materials to Diane Weiner (deweiner@bu.edu or diane.weiner@bmc.org), Hughes Prize Committee Chair, Masters Program in Medical Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Practice, Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, Boston University School of Medicine, Building S, 801 Albany Street, Suite 319, Boston, MA 02119. For details on how to apply to the Hughes Prize competition, visit http://www.medanthro.net/main/awards/polgar.html.
Editorial Opportunity through MAQ: Medical Anthropology Quarterly, the flagship journal of SMA, occasionally receives manuscripts that would be appropriate for graduate students to review. They are looking for some advanced PhD students interested in gaining experience with the peer review process to serve as reviewers. Send CVs and areas of specialization to Wendy Bartlo at maqsma@wayne.edu.
Take a Stand Policy Statement Committee: The new SMA president, Doug Feldman, wants to bring back the “take-a stand” initiative. This is where the various Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of SMA write and publish policy statements about current issues. The other SMA Special Interest Groups have specific issues that they are organized around like HIV, Reproduction, and Disabilities. MASA is free to take a stand on whatever we decide to, but I would encourage us to take a stand on some student-related issue. I am going to form a committee whose task is to decide on a stand and to begin drifting a policy statement. The process is a little drawn out, but the reward is that our policy statement will appear in a future publication of MAQ. This is about a three-four page statement that will be reviewed by the board, put on the website for comments, and eventually published. You can find examples of past policy statements on the SMA website (http://www.medanthro.net/stand/statementindex.html). If you are interested in joining the committee, or have ideas for a policy statement, please email me at mrread@crimson.ua.edu.
Mentor Award Committee: Each year MASA awards an outstanding graduate student mentor with a prize. Mentors are nominated by their students, and nominations are open for three years. We review the nomination letters and choose a winner to be announced at the 2012 AAA meeting. We have had the pleasure to award prizes to some of the most impressive medical anthropology professors. I need three volunteers to join this committee. It is fun, and a great way to learn about outstanding professors in our field. If you are interested in joining the committee, please email me at mrread@crimson.ua.edu.