The ARHE Awards Committee is thrilled to announce the 2025 Policy Brief team winners. The Committee was extremely impressed with the quality of submissions and examples of the power of anthropology to inform policy. Please join us in congratulating:
Professional Level:
The winner of the 2025 ARHE Policy Brief Award at the Professional level is the interdisciplinary team led by anthropologists Dr. Jean Hunleth and Dr. Mutale Chileshe (1978-2021) from Washington University School of Medicine in the U.S. and Copperbelt University School of Medicine in Zambia, with Dr. Comfort Asante, Emma Bunkley, Sarah Burack, Lindsey Kaufman, Mary McKee, and Dr. Sam Miti. This important and innovative project was designed to improve care for family caregivers in Zambia, who worked both within and outside clinical spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic and were key to ensuring high quality and personalized medical care for patients. The researchers found that while family caregivers were “the infrastructure holding Zambian hospitals together,” the conditions in which they worked in hospitals were harmful to their health, morale, and ability to effectively care for their loved ones. The report not only demonstrated use of rigorous qualitative methods, but presented sets of findings with actionable recommendations for improvements to facilities and care for caregivers. We were impressed with the already wide dissemination of the report to the Zambian policy administrators and hospital personnel. We found this project and partnership met the needs of the community and clinical facilities in Zambia, but beyond that, these researchers demonstrate how important it is to design health and clinical interventions (in health emergencies, but even more generally) focused on the needs of caregivers – not just patients. We congratulate this incredible team for their hard work, and hope their report may inspire others.
Student Level:
The winner of the 2025 ARHE Policy Brief Award at the Student level is the team of Anuoluwapo Ajibade, a PhD student in medical anthropology at Case Western Reserve University, with his co-authors on the report, Dr. Megan Schmidt-Sane from the Institute of Development Studies, and Dr. Janet McGrath – Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University. This British Academy funded (PI: Dr Santiago Ripoll) anthropological research project in three cities, including Cleveland, Ohio, focused on public health community engagement for pandemic preparedness and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of the study included a set of recommendations for Cleveland – but really any community – to not just plan for better responses to health emergencies, but to use community engagement and pandemic preparedness to more broadly improve health equity. We congratulate this team for their hard work and applaud the recommendations included in the report.