Webster University Professor of Anthropology Selected as US Fulbright Scholar

Webster University Associate Professor of Anthropology Elsa Fan, PhD, was recently selected as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar recipient. This research award will support her to carry out ethnographic research in Taiwan for a six-month period. Fan’s research will examine how medical systems of care shape women’s breast cancer experiences.  
 
“I’m incredibly grateful and honored to have received this prestigious award,” said Fan. “Ideally, I hope this research can make contributions not only to further anthropological knowledge, but also aid the medical community in developing more socially and culturally appropriate programs to address breast cancer in Chinese American populations.” 

Photo of Elsa Fan. 

Fan’s research explores how standardized interventions, ideas and practices in global health travel across different social and cultural contexts. Her research proposal identified Taiwan as a country worth examining because of their healthcare system. Taiwan accommodates both biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine under their national health insurance. Fan will explore how Taiwan’s healthcare system shapes the availability of care to women with breast cancer and guides women’s health-seeking behaviors around treatment and prevention. 
 
Many of Fan’s colleagues were pleased to hear that Fan was selected as a recipient of the Fullbright research grant. 
 
"I am thrilled at Dr. Fan’s selection as a Fulbright Scholar,” said Assistant Vice President of Research and Associate Professor of Psychology Eric Goedereis. “This well-earned honor was only possible because of Elsa’s impressive commitment to seeking—and successfully securing—external funding to support her research. Elsa has done well to apply her rigorous scholarship to real-world challenges and regularly involves undergraduate students in her work." 
 
Fan aspires for her research to shed light on an understudied topic – and plans to share her takeaways with professionals across multiple fields and disciplines. 
 
“It’s important for anyone working in global public health to understand how and why women make the decisions they do about their care and treatment. I hope this research can be helpful to our students planning to embark on a career in the healthcare industry, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level. Understanding and appreciating diverse perspectives on health, illness and the body is critical to being a successful and effective healthcare professional.” 
 
Fan is a faculty member in Webster’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Learn more about the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.