The challenge of comparative health policy research for applied medical anthropology

In this paper I argue that medical anthropologists can work in settings outside of academia to effect policy and that this work can simultaneously contribute to scientific knowledge and to the discipline of anthropology. In doing this, I first discuss the concept of policy and bind these ideas within the framework of health policy. Then I discuss the roles of anthropologists in the health policy field and the problems of selecting issues for research and the concern about the dichotomy between pure and applied research. Finally, I review some key health policy issues in American society and discuss how medical anthropologists can work toward practicing their craft in practical ways.