Ph.D. John Hopkins University 1988

Specialties

Medical Anthropology: Historical & Contemporary Cultural Analysis of American Medicine; Interdisciplinary Collaborations across Medicine & Medical Anthropology

Anthropology of Higher Education: Faculty Development in Institutional Culture: Art for Institutional Change; Emerging Inquiry Failure & Failure Disclosure in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

At the heart of my work is a sustained inquiry into how individuals and communities make sense of their experiences within larger institutional and historical frameworks—whether navigating the uncertainty of birth and reproductive care, the implicit norms of academic culture, or the emotional landscape of failure and premonition. Across these diverse settings, my research traces how people generate, transmit, and contest knowledge in the face of exclusion or precarity.

The American tendency to view failure as a personal deficit rather than a structural outcome resonates across my work—from the misrecognition of midwives’ expertise to the challenges faced by faculty seeking institutional belonging. I am particularly drawn to how individuals cultivate foresight, resilience, and agency in moments of ambiguity—where failure might be anticipated, averted, or reinterpreted. These dynamics of sense-making have shaped both my anthropological research and my institutional engagement, underscoring a broader commitment to fostering environments that validate diverse ways of knowing, being, and thriving.

Selected Publications

For more about my work, publications, and community engaged scholarship using theatre, art exhibits,and film, visit: https://gertrudefraser.com/

Medical Anthropology

Fraser, G. (1998) African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Mica, A., Fraser, G.J., Bello, B., Pawlak, M. & Kubicki, P. (2025), HARNESSING IGNORANCE? Resources for Action and Resistance During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis in Nigeria. Angelaki, 30: 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969725X.2025.2485600

Fraser, G.J. (2021), Fatalism Knowledge and Inquiry in African American Family Stories of Death Premonition. American Anthropologist, 123: 318-329

Kilbridge, K.L., Fraser, G., Krahn, M., et al. (2009). Lack of comprehension of common prostate cancer terms in an underserved population. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Volume 27 Number 12 April 20 2009

Cohn, W.F., Fraser, G.F., Jones, MS; Miesfeldt,S. (2008) Perceptions of Cancer Risk, Risk Management and Family Issues: Views of Women At Risk for Hereditary Breast Cancer. Southern Online Journal for Nursing Research vol 8(3)

McGarvey, M., Fraser, G., Waite, D., Koopman, C., McLeod, S. Inhalant use among adolescents in the US: A study of contextual concerns. Journal of Substance Use Volume 4, 2000 - Issue 4. 170-177

Anthropology of Higher Education

Mica, A., Fraser, G. J., Pawlak, M., & Kubicki, P. (2024). Fracasopolicy:Toward a Critical Typology of Policy Failures. Globalizations, 1–18

Fraser, G; Caitlyn Donahue, D. Weller, C. Uffman (2018)  “Art for Institutional Change: Legitimizing Women in STEM Through Visibility.” ADVANCE Journal.

Fraser, G. and Dawn Hunt (2011) Faculty Diversity and Search Committee Training: Learning from a Critical Incident. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 4(3)185-198

Fraser, G, and C. Holman Thompson (2023) Discovery and Inquiry Pathways to Navigating the Routledge International Handbook of Failure. Edited By Adriana Mica, Mikolaj Pawlak  Routledge International Handbook of Failure.495-498

Fraser G. and Harden M. (2015) Workshop Design for Diversity and Dialogue: Women in STEM Empowered to Engage Across Difference. In  Forward to Professorship in STEM Inclusive Faculty Development Strategies That Work , R. Heller, C. Mavripilis and P. Sabila (Eds.) pp. 107-127. London: Academic Press.

Fraser G. and Little D. Talking about Writing: Critical Dialogues on Supporting Faculty Writers. In M. Eodice and A. Geller (Eds.), pp. 73-94. Working with Faculty Writers, Utah State University Press.