Sociologists and anthropologists in health research settings: Experiences, success, and what gets in the way

• In Event: 1523 - Practice Symposium Roundtables
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 4: Working in Interdisciplinary Teams

Abstract

Problem/challenge

Many sociologists and anthropologists work at health care research organizations with faculty and staff of heterogeneous disciplinary backgrounds (e.g. medicine, nursing, biostatistics, epidemiology). Increasingly, social science methods are integral parts of federally funded health research grants and sociologists and anthropologists are sought out as research partners or staff by colleagues with different disciplinary training. However, there is often limited formal support to highlight and promote these partnerships. Sociologists and anthropologists can lack disciplinary fellowship and visibility within the health system. Further, the resource needs of rigorous social science methods and practice tend to be underestimated. The career experiences and development needs of sociologists and anthropologists working in health care are not well understood in the US and such understanding is crucial to devising strategies that enhance roles and perceived value of social scientists in health care systems.

Approach

We propose an interactive workshop in which we will first use a combination of didactic methods to describe what is known about the lived experiences of sociologists and anthropologists in health care systems, including our own. We will discuss these methods in the workshop: environmental scan, analysis of tweet-chat data, archival analysis, focus group/design workshop, and survey. Second, we will engage participants in an interactive session using human-centered design-informed methods to elicit their experiences working in different applied settings. Participants will be asked to help identify common barriers, needs, rewards, and benefits of being a health care-embedded social scientist.

Usefulness to audience members

Attendees will:
• Learn about the roles and work experiences of healthcare-embedded sociologists and anthropologists
• Discuss their own experiences as social scientists practicing in health organizations
• Learn about tools, models, and resources to foreground social scientists’ value in health care
• Generate ideas for using data and lessons learned in their organizations and work lives as applied social scientists

Authors

• Lorella Palazzo, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Insti

• Marlaine Figueroa Gray, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

• Nora B. Henrikson, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

• Brooks T. Tiffany, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute