Current Role(s)
International Development Consultant, EthnoScience Evaluations (nascent organization)
Research Affiliate, Social Science Research Lab, University of Montana
Develop and implement needs assessments, impact evaluations, and program theory evaluations for organizations providing services to communities worldwide. Conduct research contributing to cross-comparable development theory. Convert findings into usable results for programming and disseminate to diverse audiences.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Montana
Areas of Expertise
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation: use of mixed methods to monitor and evaluate ongoing economic, health, and education needs, risks, and programs in Nepal and Uganda fieldsites; design and implement qualitative and quantitative research design and analysis techniques for directed and exploratory research, in concert with field teams, using NVivo, SPSS, ArcGIS, and Gephi (social network analysis software); manage research assistants in the field and lab settings; synthesize and explain findings to diverse audiences.
Medical Anthropology: Emphasis on the cross-cultural study of health and illness related behavior; socio-economic determinants of disease and the anthropology of public health; cultural models of health; health disparities, political ecology and disease; livelihoods and vulnerability; ethnomedicine.
South Asia Ethnology: Fieldwork experience in multi-caste Nepali Hindu and ethnically Tibetan cultural settings in the Himalayas; resource management and coping responses to ecological change; conflict and development as movements of social change; inter-ethnic cultural relations; microclimate impacts on vulnerability; conversational Nepali language aptitude.
East Africa Ethnology: Fieldwork experience among Kikuyu, Kalenjin, and Masaai peoples of Kenya and Banyankole and Baganda peoples of Uganda; risk and decision-making about healthcare; sustainable community agriculture; community-based healthcare; hospital-community relations and politics; some Hindi, Swahili and Luganda language comprehension
Education
Ph.D., Anthropology, emphasis in Medical Anthropology, The University of MontanaNational Science Foundation-funded dissertation fieldwork in Humla District, Nepal.
Advisor: Dr. Kimber H. McKay. / 2012
M.A., Anthropology, emphasis in Medical Anthropology, The University of Montana
Advisor: Dr. Kimber H. McKay. / 2009
B.A., Anthropology, Miami University / 2001
M&E and Research Experience
Research Associate, Adara Development (USA) and Faculty Affiliate, The University of MontanaDesign and implement research that investigates program needs, efficiency, and efficacy for the organization’s socioeconomic and health aims in northwestern Nepal and Nakaseke District, Uganda field-sites. Conduct yearly fieldwork to keep abreast of local needs and challenges. Manage research assistants in the US, Nepal, and Uganda. Disseminate findings to policy makers and academics in a variety of disciplines and venues. Make development recommendations based on findings. Fulfill mentorship, teaching, and service duties at The University of Montana. / July, 2012- Jan, 2016
Nepal: Research, monitoring and evaluation of Adara programs, including maternal, infant, and child research and programming, food security and microenterprise research and programming, and educational programs and policies in the Himalayas.
Uganda: Research, monitoring and evaluation of Adara Community-Based Health Care program through Kiwoko Hospital, including antenatal, postnatal, immunization, disability support, adolescent sexual health, and traditional birthing programs and policies.
Research Assistant, Adara Development
Analysis of social determinants of health and development, innovation efficacy, and social change for remote Nepal & Uganda program sites. Excel, SPSS, and ArcGIS software. / November, 2005-July, 2012
Fieldwork- Dissertation
Research funded by the National Science Foundation in Humla District, Nepal, investigated local-level responses to resource change, political conflict, and development efforts. Qualitative-quantitative analysis of decision making and risk management in response to rapid social change. / June, 2009-September, 2010
Research Assistant, University of Montana, Missoula
Conducted interviews and collected, managed and analyzed data for NIH-funded research assessing the use of the internet in the misuse of drugs for student and non-student populations in Missoula, Montana. QSR NVivo, interviewing, and qualitative analysis of decision making about risks. / September, 2007-April, 2009
Student Researcher, Miami Indians Field School, Oklahoma
The Miami Indians maintain a link between my alma mater and its namesake through a field school encouraging reciprocal relationships between the Miami Indians and MU's would-be anthropologists. My project focused on the elder generation's constructions of identity, both as agriculturalists and as Indian People in the face of unproductive fields and enormous shifts in the politics of identity in their lifetimes. / June, 2000-August, 2000
Publications
Sanders, Catherine, Kimber Haddix McKay, and Thi Hing Diep Dao (2016). Social Support amid a Health-Seeking Transition in Himalayan Nepal. Social Science and Medicine (under review).
*Sanders, Catherine L., Kimber H. McKay, Angjuk Lama, and Pralhad Dhakal (2015). “’Pro-Government’ is not ‘Pro-Corruption’ in the Aftermath of the Nepal Earthquakes”. in Anthropology News’ online magazine, In Focus, June 10th, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015 from http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2015/06/10/pro-government-is-not-pro-corruption-in-the-aftermath-of-the-nepal-earthquakes/.
Sanders, Catherine L. and Kimber H. McKay (2014). Where Have All the Young Men Gone? Social Fragmentation during Rapid Neoliberal Development in Nepal’s Himalayas. Human Organization 73(1): 25-37.
*Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2013). "I don't know where my sons are": Social trade-offs during rapid development in Nepal. In Proceedings of the 3rd World Sustain. Forum, 1-30 November 2013; Sciforum Electronic Conference Series, Vol. 3.
Sanders, Catherine L. and Kimber H. McKay (2013). The Search for “Strong Medicine”: Pathways to Healthcare Development in Remote Nepal Using GIS. Technology & Innovation 15: 109-124.
*Sanders, Catherine L. and Kimber H. McKay. (2012). Love is Cheap: Democratic Rise of Love Marriage among Hindu Maoists in Nepal. Anthropology News 53 (4).
*Sanders, Catherine L. (2012). “Debts and Indebtedness in Anthropological Fieldwork”. Published in The Huffington Post’s American Anthropological Association blog October 17, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-anthropological-association/debts-and-indebtedness-in_b_1973589.html.
Sanders, Catherine (2010). Getting more greens from the greenhouse: Opportunities for adoption in remote regions of Nepal. Contributions to Nepalese Studies 37(2): 249-260.
McKay, Kimber, Alex Zhand, Catherine Sanders, and Govinda Nepali. (2007). Responses to Innovation in an Insecure Environment in Rural Nepal. Mountain Research and Development 27(4): 302-307.
*Publications denoted by ‘*’ were not peer-reviewed.
Presentations and Workshops
Sanders, Catherine, Kimber McKay, and Diep Dao (2015). Social Support amid a Health-Seeking Transition in Himalayan Nepal. Presentation for the annual meeting for the American Anthropological Association in Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015.
McKay, Kimber, Catherine Sanders, and Diep Dao (2015). “Show Business” or Essential? STMMs in Remote Nepal. Presentation for the annual meeting for the American Anthropological Association in Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015.
McKay, Kimber, Catherine Sanders, Debbie Lester, and Moses Sekkidde (2015). Closing the Circle: An Ethnographic Study of a Community Based Healthcare Outreach Program in Rural Uganda. Poster for the Global Health and Innovation Conference at Yale University, March 28-29, 2015.
McKay, Kimber, Desiree Acholla, Catherine Sanders, and Moses Sekkidde (2015). Lessons Learned from a Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Program in Central Uganda. Presentation for the annual Society for Applied Anthropology meeting, March 24-28, 2015.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2014). “Khaana chhaina bhane kheti pani hundaina”: wealth and poverty in defining communities of Humla District, Nepal. Presentation for the 2014 Himalayan Studies Conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, March 14-16th, 2014.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2014). How could we work the land if we did not eat? Wealth and poverty in northwestern Nepal. Presentation for the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 17-22nd, 2014.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2013). “I Don’t Know Where My Sons Are”: Social trade-offs during rapid development in Nepal. Presentation for the 3rd World Sustainability Forum, Nov 1-30th, 2013.
McKay, Kimber and Catherine Sanders (2013). Collective action problems facing a latrine program in Humla, Nepal. Presentation for the 3rd World Sustainability Forum, Nov 1-30th, 2013.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2013). Womanhood, Development, and Religiosity in a Rural Ugandan Hospital. Presentation for the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting in Chicago, IL, Nov 21-24, 2013.
McKay, Kimber & Catherine Sanders (2013). But when will I smoke a cigarette and complain about my mother in law? Presentation for Northwest Evolution Ecology and Human Behavior Symposium, Boise, ID, April 19-21, 2013.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2013), Invited participants, Santa Fe Institute’s “Network Structure, Political Hierarchy, and Economic Inequality” Workshop, Santa Fe, NM, February 1-3, 2013.
McKay, Kimber H. and Catherine Sanders (2012). The Search for “Strong Medicine” Pathways to healthcare development in Nepal using GIS. Poster presentation for the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting in San Fransisco.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2012). Making the MDGs a Reality in Remote Impoverished Communities of Nepal. Presentation for the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, November 28th, 2012.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay (2012). Where Is This Relationship Going? Negotiating the Health Landscape in Himalayan Nepal. 2nd Annual Himalayan Studies Conference, University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, September 21-23, 2012.
Sanders, Catherine L. (2012). Capitalism and Communism in the Mountains: Decision making about development technologies in Himalayan Nepal. Presentation at the 2ndAnnual Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference, University of Kentucky, April 13–15, 2012.
Sanders, Catherine, Kimber H. McKay and Matthew Nordhagen. (2012). Risk-Taking in Development and Conflict: An ArcGIS exploration of kinship in Humla District, Nepal. Session: Boundaries and Borders: GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing in Anthropological Research. Presentation at the Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, March 27-31, 2012.
Sanders, Catherine and Kimber H. McKay. (2011). A People’s War? Decisions to Join the Maoists in Mountain Nepal. Presentation at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting in Montreal, November 15-21, 2011.
Sanders, Catherine (2011). Shreds & Patches: Health Service Delivery in Humla, Nepal. Presentation at the Society for Applied Anthropology’s Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, March 29-April 3, 2011.
Sanders, Catherine (2007). Tibetans in Nepal: Heritages and Livelihoods. Presentation at the Northwest Anthropological Conference at Washington State University in March, 2007.
Sanders, Catherine (2004). Community Empowerment for Sustainable Management of Resources: The Joseph Waweru Home School’s garden initiative. Presentation at the Forum for Organic Resource Management and Agricultural Technologies Symposium. November, 2004 in Kitale, Kenya.
Community and Other Applied Experience
Performer/Teacher/Organizer, West African Dance, Missoula, MontanaLocal performances, classes and workshops bringing West African dance and drum masters to Missoula for integrative, community-oriented learning experiences. / May, 2005-present
Student leadership, Montana
Organized and ran an interdisciplinary writing group for graduate students at the University of Montana, offering mentorship, editing, and networking services. Lectures for and participation in the anthropology department’s gender roundtable discussion group, and presentation of my research in a variety of classrooms and forums on campus. / 2006-2012
Community Garden Organizer, Garden City Harvest, Montana
Designed and implemented a garden curriculum for junior high students while organizing volunteers and managing community gardens. Supervisor: Tim Hall.
/
/ March, 2006-November, 2006
Community Support Worker, Opportunity Resources, Inc., Montana
Wide range of caregiving and support for individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury. Supervisors: Joshua Kendrick, Assistant Director of Services, and Cris Fleming, case worker. / June, 2005-November, 2006
Biointensive Agriculturalist, Expanding Opportunities, Kenya
Combining sustainable ideology and knowledge of local practices, I designed a productive one-acre plot on-site at the Joseph Waweru Home School for street children outside of Nakuru and trained a Kenyan to take over my position after I left. Expanding Opportunities is a small NGO with its U.S. base in Brooks, Maine. Director: Beverly Stone. / January, 2004-February, 2005
Farm Manager/Apprentice, Brighton Farm, Maine
Apprenticeship in the spring of 2001, and farm manager for the 2003 season while the owners traveled abroad. Management of farm, apprentices and of the state farm-shares program which provided elders with fresh food. Farm owners: Bob and Arleen Lovelace. / 2001-2005, seasonally
Field Manager/Canvasser, Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio
OCA is a non-governmental organization tackling local environmental issues in Cincinnati. Grassroots and non-profit organizing, field management, and presentations on environmental and social justice issues. Program Coordinator: Rachel Belz / October, 2002-April, 2003
Teaching Experience
Department of Anthropology, University of Montana, Missoula· Adjunct Professor, Anthropology 430: Social Anthropology
· Adjunct Instructor, Anthropology 330X: Peoples of Africa
· Teaching Assistantship, Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology
· Adjunct Instructor, co-lecturer, Anthropology 343: Population and Culture
· Teaching Assistantship, Anthropology 101: Introduction to Anthropology
· Teaching Assistantship, Anthropology 103: Food and Culture
Guest Lecturer at the University of Montana
Lectures given for Mansfield Center, History of Anthropological Theory, Quantitative Ethnographic Methods, Intro to Anthropology, Social Change, Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, and Sociology of Environment and Development (in the School of Forestry) / 2007-2016
2011-2014
Selected Grants and Academic Awards
Society for Applied Anthropology, Kushner Travel Award: $500 2012
Bertha Morton Scholarship: $2000 for tuition and fees through the University of Montana 2009
National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, $14,989 for research on the adoption of development programs in rural, Himalayan Nepal 2008
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowhip. $5000, South Asian Summer Language Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Nepali language studies 2007
Professional Service
Research blogger, Adara Development 2013- 2015
Nomination of Dr. McKay for the Pantzer Award at the University of Montana- Successful 2014
Mentorship of UM undergraduate Sophia Bay in application for Undergraduate Research
Scholarship Proposal- successfully funded 2014
Guest blogger, American Anthropological Association’s Huffington Post column 2012
Peer Reviewer, Food and Foodways 2012
Member, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies 2011-Present
Member, Society for Applied Anthropology 2010-Present
Member, Society for Medical Anthropology 2010-Present
Member, American Anthropological Association 2007-Present
Member, Montana Anthropology Student Association 2007-2012
Member, Golden Key Honor Society 2006-2012
Member, Central States Anthropology Society 2002-3
3