Dr. D. Burnett

Bio

I am a medical anthropologist whose work broadly focuses on the complex relationship between race and racism, identity formation, religion and spirituality and inequities in health.

Theoretically, my work is engaged with critical approaches to the study of Indigeneity/Blackness, embodied spiritual practices as technologies of well-being and healing, and the spaces between citizenship(s), globalization, migration and subject formation.

I have maintained a strong commitment to chronic disease prevention, health promotion, policy, practice and implementation research. I am invested in the strategies of health and well-being that arise from the communities they serve. Subsequently, I also have research interests/background in mental health, maternal health, and perinatal health.

The broader framework of these interests is a curiosity in the health benefits of forms of love, and healthy families and relationships. I am currently exploring the context of partnerships, procreation and parenting as the conditions under which these occur are framed by larger structural inequities, national and transnational policy and cultural narratives.

While my research has made me a transnational researcher, my work continues to lead me to Brazil as well as other places in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as North America. Similarly, I am drawn to places where Black/Indigenous spiritualities are lived and embodied. Most recently, my ideas and interests are leading me towards the South Pacific as I settle into this region of the world.

Interests

• chronic disease prevention, food and nutrition, global public health
• maternal health, perinatal health, mental health
• policy, practice & implementation
• Indigeneity/Blackness; race; racism
• racial equity, identity, belonging
• love, relationships, partnerships and families
• religion, spirituality, spiritual traditions
• Latin America, Caribbean, South Pacific, North America