Helen Wasielewski Schaffer
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Academic work
I study cultural adaptation. I'm interested in the norms that regulate the distribution of needed resources between members of a social group (e.g., risk-pooling systems). To understand how these cultural systems are constituted, I look at how they respond to socioeconomic change. Applied work I'm interested in working toward achieving health equity in rural communities. |
OVERLAP My recent efforts are focused on understanding social support in central Appalachian communities (eastern Kentucky). See Sharing in Kentucky for more. |
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TRAINING and SKILLS: I earned my Ph.D. in evolutionary anthropology from Rutgers University and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Arizona State University Department of Psychology. I use both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and have experience in designing and running experimental studies (randomized controlled trials). In my master of public health program (MPH, University of Arizona, expected 2020), I attained skills in community-based evaluation and program planning. |
Images of central Appalachia
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Produce, mini donkey, & eggs courtesy of my friends at Good for Your Heart Farm!
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Me holding a crawdad. Image courtesy of my friend Misty Hamilton, owner of Loolyholler Farm. 
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Updates:
January 2020
I am happy to be working on a few different evaluation projects, including collaborative work to improve breastfeeding support for Native American and Hispanic families in Pima County!
July 2019
I'm back in southeast Kentucky, talking with people about sharing and giving! See Sharing in Kentucky for more!
June 2019
I am glad to be returning to eastern Kentucky later this summer, thanks to a research grant from CHES (Center for Human Evolutionary Studies) at Rutgers University!
October 2018
I'm pleased to announce that a collaboration with Robert Lynch and Lee Cronk has borne fruit: our paper "Sexual conflict and the Trivers-Willard hypothesis: Females prefer daughters and males prefer sons" has been accepted for publication in Scientific Reports!
June 2018:
I am working on two manuscripts from the work that I did last summer in southeast Kentucky! The first focuses on understanding informal social support in the context of economic change, while the second deals with subsistence (growing, finding, and hunting food!).
March 2018:
I'm looking forward to visiting southeast Kentucky from March 21-April 4! On March 31 at 3pm I'll be talking about the summer research, "Sharing in Kentucky" at the Knott County Sportsplex, in the conference room. This event is open to the public.
I'll also be presenting at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Cincinnati, April 5-8.
Please click the Sharing in Kentucky Study tab for a synopsis of those results.
January 2020
I am happy to be working on a few different evaluation projects, including collaborative work to improve breastfeeding support for Native American and Hispanic families in Pima County!
July 2019
I'm back in southeast Kentucky, talking with people about sharing and giving! See Sharing in Kentucky for more!
June 2019
I am glad to be returning to eastern Kentucky later this summer, thanks to a research grant from CHES (Center for Human Evolutionary Studies) at Rutgers University!
October 2018
I'm pleased to announce that a collaboration with Robert Lynch and Lee Cronk has borne fruit: our paper "Sexual conflict and the Trivers-Willard hypothesis: Females prefer daughters and males prefer sons" has been accepted for publication in Scientific Reports!
June 2018:
I am working on two manuscripts from the work that I did last summer in southeast Kentucky! The first focuses on understanding informal social support in the context of economic change, while the second deals with subsistence (growing, finding, and hunting food!).
March 2018:
I'm looking forward to visiting southeast Kentucky from March 21-April 4! On March 31 at 3pm I'll be talking about the summer research, "Sharing in Kentucky" at the Knott County Sportsplex, in the conference room. This event is open to the public.
I'll also be presenting at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Cincinnati, April 5-8.
Please click the Sharing in Kentucky Study tab for a synopsis of those results.