Bradley P. Stoner is a busy man. In addition to directing the new public health minor, he also directs the four year undergraduate Medicine and Society Program, holds an associate professorship of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences and an associate professorship of medicine in the School of Medicine. Since being hired at Washington University in 1995, Dr. Stoner has gracefully integrated his interests in medicine, cultural anthropology, and public health in ways that have broadly benefited the Washington University community, the St. Louis region, and beyond.
Stoner’s joint appointment with the Department of Anthropology and the School of Medicine allows him to teach courses in medical anthropology and public health on the Danforth campus, while practicing infectious disease medicine and continuing to conduct research in disease transmission. His current research focuses primarily on the population dynamics of infections, and the role of health services as they relate to sexually transmitted diseases. He is involved with several community-based studies, including a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded study that investigates testing strategies and transmission of chlamydia.
As an anthropologist, Stoner is particularly interested in peoples’ beliefs about disease and how these affect their decision making related to treatment. His research has found, for example, that for numerous reasons, many women in treatment for chlamydia do not follow the CDC recommendations for being re-screened 3-4 months after their treatment, a crucial step in insuring that they are not re-infected by partners who remain untreated. His current study attempts to determine the effectiveness of re-screening these women at home as opposed to requiring them to return to a clinic. Stoner is also interested in the psycho-social impact of chlamydia on women, an aspect of the disease currently not well examined.
In 2002, Stoner conducted a two-year project on syphilis in which health care providers and syphilis patients were interviewed in an effort to understand perceptions of the disease among both populations. Called the “Ethnography of Syphilis,” the study found marked differences between how patients and health care providers perceive the disease, who they perceive to be responsible for it, and how to prevent it in the future. Stoner knows that understanding the perceptions of all the players facilitates effective public health interventions.
“If a public health program, like an STD clinic, doesn’t fully understand local conceptions of disease transmission—what people are thinking about how the disease is spread—then the program itself will be incomplete in addressing the needs of the people.” Stoner says.
Stoner has been teaching courses in medical anthropology and public health for a number of years and during that time has noticed an increasing interest in public health among his students. In response to growing student demand, he created and directs the public health minor, administered through the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences. Numerous faculty in the Department of Anthropology also help contribute to the success of the program, notably Profs. Peter Benson, Rebecca Lester, and Carolyn Sargent, to name but a few.
Stoner points out that Washington University is at the front end of a strong trend among universities to create undergraduate programs in public health. “The Minor in Public Health at Washington University is among the most dynamic and creative undergraduate programs in the nation. Students completing the minor gain a very broad understanding of the foundations of public health, and are well-prepared to pursue graduate study in a variety of disciplines.” He welcomes students to the rapidly growing new program and looks forward to its continued growth and success.
Adapted from an article in the Washington University RECORD By Neil Schoenherr