Dr. Barbara Piperata

Contact Information

Dr. Barbara Piperata
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
The Ohio State University
244 Lord Hall
124 W. 17th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-2766 (tel)
614-292-4155 (fax)
piperata.1@osu.edu

Curriculum Vitae (doc)

Research Interests

My research applies life history theory and takes a bio-cultural approach in understanding human ecology, reproduction and nutrition. All my research to date has been conducted in Latin America, with a particular focus on rural Amazonian populations. My recent research focused on human reproductive energetics among rural Amazonian women and sought to understand how women in this environment accommodated the additional energy demands of lactation. Taking a bio-cultural perspective, I am interested in the interplay between cultural beliefs and practices, human reproductive strategies and health outcomes. I am currently beginning a new research project among Quilombo populations in southern Brazil and rural Amazonian populations focused on the nutrition transition and the relationship between changes in economic strategies, work loads, dietary changes and overall nutritional status, including the concurrence of overweight/obesity and underweight in the same household. I plan to extent my research on the nutrition transition to studies of migrant and refugee populations in the United States in the future.

Teaching Schedule 2007-2008

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