Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist is Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She teaches Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Food, and the Anthropology Senior Seminar. She is faculty advisor for the Anthropology Honor Society and is active in Elon's Program for Ethnographic Research and Community Studies (PERCS) and Women's/Gender Studies.

Dr. Palmquist received her Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in 2006.  Before arriving at Elon, she held a two-year appointment as Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at Yale University, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Global Health Initiative.  She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health-National Human Genome Research Institute, Social and Behavioral Research Branch from 2007-2009.

Dr. Palmquist is a medical anthropologist.  She has conducted research on a wide range of topics, from healing systems in Palau to family communication about genetic test results in the U.S. She has worked in clinical, community-based, and interdisciplinary settings.  She has done ethnographic fieldwork in Hawaii, Palau, and Thailand.

Her current research addresses social inequalities in health, infant and child health, women's and gender studies, and science and technology studies.  

Two projects include:

• Internet-based breast milk sharing in the U.S.

• Child feeding beliefs and practices in the context of food insecurity among low-income Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families in Hawaii

Students who are interested in gaining research experience in these areas should contact Dr. Palmquist to learn about possible training opportunities.

Palmquist, AEL (2012). The Old and the New. In E. Mendenhall & A.D. Koon (Eds.), Environmental Health Narratives: A Reader for Youth, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press

Palmquist, AEL, Wilkinson, A, Sandoval, JM, and Koehly, LM (2012) Age-related differences in biomedical and folk beliefs as causes for diabetes and heart disease among Mexican origin adults.  Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 4(14): 596-601

Palmquist, AEL, Upton, R, Kim, S, Panter, A, Hadley, D and Koehly, LM (2011) Beliefs about cancer and diet among those considering genetic testing for colon cancer.  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 43(3): 150-156

Palmquist, AEL, Koehly, LM, Peterson, SK, Shegog, MS, Vernon, S and Gritz, ER (2010) “The cancer bond”:  exploring the formation of cancer risk perception in families with Lynch Syndrome.  Journal of Genetic Counseling 19(5): 423-544

Ashida, S, Palmquist, AEL, Basen-Engquist, K, Singletary, S. Eva and Koehly, LM (2009) Changes in female support network systems and adaptation after breast cancer diagnosis: differences between older and younger patients. Gerontologist 49(4): 549-59

Koehly, LM and Loscalzo, AE (2009) Adolescent obesity and social networks. Preventing Chronic Disease 6(3): A99