Dr. Mark Flinn
My research interests include a mix of biological and cultural anthropology. I am intrigued by mutations in tumor pathways, the role of ancestors in family dynamics, vaccine hesitancy, how art serves as a tool for family communication, the role of indigenous diets in changes in adiposity, how social environments influence health behaviors, and the biology of tumor specific mutations in the PTEN protein.
I am particularly interested in understanding the use of biomarkers to identify resilience, especially in terms of human development as well as in chronic illness and how we might impact various levels of policy or protocol in the healthcare setting.
B.S. in Anthropology, Arizona State University, 1996
Medical Anthropology courses Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador 1997-99
Public Health Coursework, University of Arizona, 2014
I am a mother, wife, aunt, and daughter. I love camping, knitting, exploring, cooking, and music. I was born in Colombia and grew up in Spain and Ecuador as well as Mexico and Arizona. I am a third-generation anthropologist. My mother and I traveled by dugout canoe into the Upper Amazon where I played with the children, and we traveled to the high southwestern mesas and watched the Hopi Snake Dances from the roofs of homes in small villages. These experiences, including but not limited to the ones I write about above, are at the root of my deep desire to work in Anthropology.