Dr. Amanda Wissler: From Skeletons to Statistics, Anthropology of Disease and Society
- Anthony Carlucci
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Anthropology is the study of humankind from the beginning to the present. The study not only includes the study of humans but their interaction with the world through holistic studies. Within this field, subfields can be focused on human anatomy, archaeology, and forensic anthropology.
With such a large field of study, many unknowns are still present, ranging from human interactions with disease to human interactions with the environment. Exploring these fields will allow a better understanding of sociological factors that revolve around disease. One of the leading scientists in this field, Dr. Amanda Wissler, will have an “office hour” with us today, sharing his story in academia, and promising projects.
Dr. Amanda Wissler
AFFILIATION:
Dr. Amanda Wissler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University.
ACADEMIC & TEACHING BACKGROUND
Undergraduate study:
Dr Amanda Wissler completed her undergraduate degree with a bachelor’s in Near Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley in 2013.
Graduate study:
In 2015, Dr. Wissler then went on to get her Master’s in Biological Anthropology at Arizona State University.
In 2021, she graduated with a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Arizona State University, where her study focused on discovering the demographic factors of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918.
Teaching and Researching Career:
After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Wissler then continued her fellowship and finally became an instructor at McMaster University.
Currently, Amanda Wissler is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University, where she teaches courses ranging from introductory anthropology courses, like Plagues and People, to Advanced Topics in Biological Anthropology. She also continues to do research to study the relationship between disease and demographic factors.
AWARDS & LEADERSHIP
Institute of Museum and Library Services: Museums for America Grant to Cleveland Museum of Natural History (2022)
National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2021)
American Association of University Women: American Fellowship. Dissertation Writing Grant (2020)
National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant. Co-PI with Jane Buikstra (2020)
RESEARCH AND INTEREST
Dr. Amanda Wissler's research focuses on bicultural approaches to frailty and resiliency, as well as how emerging infectious diseases intersect with social aspects. These include racism, sexism, and inequality. By using epidemiology and demographic methods such as combining skeletal and archival data, we are able to explore the historical as well as ongoing forces that shape health and survival during major epidemiological events.
Currently, Dr. Wissler’s research focuses on discovering the historical documents from 1918 around the globe, such as the U.S, Denmark, Canada, etc. This is especially important to understand the infecting patterns and health portfolio of one of the deadliest pandemic of history, the 1918 influenza, or the Spanish flu. Spanish flu is caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus, it occurred near the end of World War I and infected nearly ⅓ of the world’s population. Spanish flu killed an estimated of 50-100 million people, which is more than World War I itself. Therefore, studying this pandemic provides scientists with a broader scope of disease-infecting patterns and their impact in general. Hence, preparing the humanities for the next pandemics or minimizing their effects.
EPISODE OVERVIEW
In this episode, we follow Dr. Amanda Wissler as she discusses how her education journey and interests evolve from high school to her graduate study. At the same time, Dr. Wissler tells audiences some of the most exciting stories from her research, including the ethics behind anthropology, reading death records, and even observing skeletons in Europe since the 20th century! Most importantly, she demonstrates the unique aspect of anthropology research groups compared to other scientific fields, as well as the intersections between these fields.
INTERVIEW
From YouTube channel of Office Hours: Unplugged
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