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Astier M. Almedom

Professor of Practice in Humanitarian Policy and Global Public Health

Education

BA (Hons) and MA in human sciences, and D.Phil. in biological anthropology, Oxford University

Professional Activities

Director, International Resilience Program (IRP), Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University. Humanitarian Accountability Partnership, Geneva (Independent Board Member, 2006-8); Society for Applied Anthropology (Sustaining Fellow, 2002-); Editorial advisory board member, Waterlines (2001-); African Health Sciences (2003-); Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute (2003-); Society for Medical Anthropology (Sustaining Member), American Anthropological Association (Member).

Programs & Centers

• The Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University

Courses

Fall 2009

• DHP P216 - International Humanitarian Policy and Public Health 

Research Interests

Human, institutional, and ecosystem resilience with particular reference to public health; indigenous knowledge and historical narratives; self-determination and nation building; Africa (East, North-east, and West), UK, USA.

Recent Publications

Articles (invited and/or refereed) in academic & policy/practice oriented journals

• Almedom, A. M. and Tumwine, J.K. (2008) Special Issue. Editorial. Resilience to Disasters: A paradigm Shift from Vulnerability to Strength. African Health Sciences 8: S1-S4.
• Almedom, A.M. (2008) Resilience research and policy/practice discourse in health, social, behavioral, and environmental sciences over the last ten years. African Health Sciences 8: S5-S13.
• Glandon, D.M., Muller, J., Almedom, A.M. (2008) Resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana: A preliminary study. African Health Sciences 8: S21-S27.
• Strauch, A.M., Muller, J., Almedom, A.M. (2008) Exploring the dynamics of social-ecological resilience in East and West Africa: Preliminary evidence from Tanzania and Niger. African Health Sciences 8: S28-S32.
• Almedom, A.M. and Glandon, D. (2007) Resilience is not the absence of PTSD anymore than health is the absence of disease. Journal of Loss and Trauma 12: 127-143.
• Almedom, A.M., Tesfamichael, B., Mohammed, Z., Mascie-Taylor, N., Alemu, Z. (2007) Use of ‘Sense of Coherence (SOC)’ scale to measure resilience in Eritrea: Interrogating both the data and the scale. Journal of Biosocial Science 39: 91-107.
• Almedom, A.M. (2006) Re-reading Eritrea’s short and long-rigged history 1941-1952: Back to the future? Nordic Journal of African Studies 15: 103-142.
• Almedom, A. M., Tesfamichael, B., Mohammed, Z.S., Muller, J., Mascie-Taylor, N., Alemu, Z. (2005) “Hope” makes sense in Eritrean sense of coherence, but “loser” does not. Journal of Loss and Trauma 10(5): 433-451.
• Almedom, A.M., Tesfamichael, B., Mohammed, Z.S., Mascie-Taylor, N., Muller, J., Alemu, Z. (2005) Prolonged displacement may compromise resilience in Eritrean mothers. African Health Sciences 5: 310-314.
• Almedom, A.M. (2005) Social capital and mental health: An interdisciplinary review of primary evidence. Social Science and Medicine 61: 943-964.
• Almedom, A.M. (2005) 'Resilience’, ‘hardiness’, ‘sense of coherence’, and ‘posttraumatic growth’: All paths leading to ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? Journal of Loss and Trauma 10(3): 253-265.
• Almedom, A.M. (2004) Factors that mitigate war-induced anxiety and mental distress. Journal of Biosocial Science 36: 445-461.
• Almedom, A.M., Tesfamichael, B., Yacob, A., Teklehaimanot, K., Debretsion, Z., Beyene, T.,Kuhn, K., Alemu, Z. (2003) Examining maternal psychosocial well being in Eritrea: Application of participatory methods and tools of investigation and analysis in ‘complex emergency’ settings. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 81: 360-366.

Editorials/Commentaries/Debates (invited and/or refereed) in academic & policy/practice journals

• Almedom, A. M. and Tumwine, J. K. (2008) Editorial and Introduction to the Special issue on Resilience. African Health Sciences (forthcoming).
• Almedom, A.M. - Guest Editor (2004) Mental Well-being in Settings of Complex Emergency Journal of Biosocial Science Special Issue, Volume 36 (4).
• Almedom, A.M. and Summerfield, D. (2004) Mental Well-being in settings of ‘Complex Emergency’: An Overview Journal of Biosocial Science 36: 381-388.

Book Chapters (invited and refereed or edited)

• Almedom, A.M., Brensinger, E., Adam, G. (2008) Resilience discourse as a counter narrative to vulnerability and social suffering. in Living Through Intended and Unintended Suffering: War, Medicine and Gender, Edited by Hannah Bradby and Gillian Lewando Hundt (in preparation)
• Almedom, A. M. and Glandon, D. (2007) Social Capital and Mental Health: An updated interdisciplinary review of primary evidence. In Kawachi, I., Subramanian, S. V. & Kim, D. (Eds.) Social Capital and Health Springer.
• Almedom, A.M. and Gosling, R. (2003) The health of young asylum seekers and refugees in The United Kingdom: Reflection from research. In Allotey, P. (Ed.) The Health of Refugees: Public Health Perspectives from Crisis to Settlement Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp. 169-184.

Conference Abstracts and presentations

• Almedom, A. M. (2008) Introduction to the composite and multi-dimensional ‘Resilience Index’ for global well-being and Stability/Security.” Political Seminar: Preventing Conflict, Creating Resilient Societies Alpbach, 23 – 25 August 2008, Alpbach Conference (European Forum).
• Almedom, A. (2008) Warwick University, Resilience Seminar, co-led with Gordon Adam, Media Support (UK).
• Almedom, A. (April 2008) A Key Speaker. Resilience 2008, Stockholm.
• Almedom, A. (July 2007) International Resilience Workshop, Talloires, France. [ Organizer, Lead speaker, and Co-moderator.]
• Almedom, A. M. (2006) Anatomy of Resilience, Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) International Symposium, The Politics of Fear, February 22-26, Tufts University.
• Almedom, A. and Alemu, Z. (2004) Humanitarian policy and public health with respect to maternal psychosocial well-being in Eritrea. Open Research Day”, Ministry of Health, 16 July, Asmara.
• Almedom, A. (2003) Factors that mitigate war-induced anxiety and mental distress. Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meetings Collaborating Beyond Boundaries, March 19-23, Portland, Oregon.
• Almedom, A. and Alemu, Z. (2002) Social factors that mitigate maternal ill health in complex humanitarian emergency settings: Eritrea Example. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Putting the Public Back into Public Health November 9-13, Philadelphia.
• Almedom, A. (2002) Maternal wellbeing in complex humanitarian emergencies: examining the context in Eritrea. Society for Applied Anthropology, 62nd Annual Meeting, Environment and Health in the New Millennium, 6-10 March, Atlanta.