Lisa Henry is Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Texas. As an applied medical anthropologist, her research interests include food insecurity, globalization and health, indigenous healing systems, biomedicine and healthcare delivery, and anthropology in public health. Her regional specializations are the U.S. and the Pacific Islands. She has led over 25 research projects in 20 years on topics including food insecurity among college students, food insecurity and social capital, physician assistants, access to healthcare, rural health, community health centers, food choice and preference, obesity and globalization, physical activity, vaccinations, West Nile virus, death and dying, smoking, Cryptosporidiosis, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, perceptions of influenza, and indigenous healing. Most notably, she collaboratively studied the cultural integration of PAs in American medicine for over a decade and has received two grants in support of this research. She recently completed a collaborative project funded by the North Texas Food Bank investigating factors that influence food security in North Texas. She is currently investigating food insecurity among college students for the Dean of Students at UNT. She recently completed her book Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31818-5. She is a past-president of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA).

Education

1999, Ph.D., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University

1996, M.A., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University

1991, B.S., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University

1991, B.A., Psychology, Southern Methodist University

Selected Consulting Projects

2021 - present, Food Insecurity among LGBTQIA+ Colloge Students. Research for the UNT Pride Alliance and Dean of Students.

2020, Henry, Lisa. Food Insecurity in College during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Research for the UNT Dean of Students.

2014 - present, Henry, Lisa. Understanding Food Insecurity among UNT Students. Research for the UNT Dean of Students.

2016, Henry, Lisa and Doug Henry. Evaluation of the Denton Mobile Food Pantry. Research for and report to the Denton Hunger Coalition.

2014, Gillis, Nancy, Lisa Henry, and Lisa Quirk. Understanding Hunger in North Texas: Identifying Factors that Influence Food Security. Research for and report to the Hunger Center of the North Texas Food Bank.

2010, Henry, Lisa et al. Improving Student Success: Researching How Students Use Electronic Library Resources. Class project and report to the UNT Libraries.

2009, Henry, Lisa and Cory Timmons. Cryptosporidiosis Outbreak Response and Evaluation. Denton County 2008-2009. Research for and report to Denton County Health Department.

2009, Henry, Lisa et al. Smoking Ordinance in the City of Denton: A Community Assessment. Class project and report to the Denton County Healthy Communities Coalition.

2009, Henry, Lisa et al. H1N1 Influenza: Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors among the General Population. Class project and report to the Denton County Health Department.

Selected Publications

2020, Henry, Lisa. Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College. Palgrave Macmillion.

2017, Henry, Lisa. Understanding Food Insecurity among College Students: Experience, Motivation, and Local Solutions. Annals of Anthropological Practice. 41(1):6-19

2015, Henry, Lisa. Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Community Health Centers under the Affordable Care Act. Human Organization 74(1):42-51.

2015, Henry, Lisa. What Can Medical Anthropology Contribute to the Physician Assistant Profession? Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants 28(1):53-57. (invited submission by editor)

2014, Henry, Lisa and Roderick S. Hooker. Caring for the Disadvantaged: The Role of Physician Assistants. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants 27(1):36-42.

2013, Henry, Lisa, Ann Jordan, Mariela Nuñez-Janes, and Alicia Re Cruz. Synonyms for Engagement: Forging an Engaged Anthropology in North Texas. Annals of Anthropological Practice, Linda Bennett and Linda Whiteford guest editors. 37.1:90-112.

2011, Henry, Lisa, Roderick S. Hooker, and Kathryn Yates.The Role of Physician Assistants in Rural Healthcare: A Systematic Review of the Literature. The Journal of Rural Health. 27(3):220-229.

2009, Feldman, Kerry and Lisa Henry. Transformation of Graduate Education in Applied
Anthropology in the U.S.: Learning and Teaching Policy Studies. Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences 2(2):1-7.

2008, Gullion, Jessica, Lisa Henry, and Greg Gullion. Deciding to Opt Out of Childhood Vaccination Mandates. Public Health Nursing 25(5):401-408.

2008, Henry, Lisa and Roderick S. Hooker. Autonomous Physician Assistants in Remote Locations and the Views of their Communities. Journal of Physician Assistant Education 19(1):34-37.

Selected Presentations

2018, Understanding Food Insecurity and Hunger among U.S. College Students. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, April 2018 Philadelphia, PA.

2017, Understanding Food Insecurity among College Students: Lessons from Qualitative Research. Panelist at the National Research Conference on Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education. The conference was part of #RealCollege: A National Convening on College Food & Housing Insecurity. October 2017 Philadelphia, PA. (invited with funding)

2016, Understanding Food Insecurity among College Students: Stigma, Coping, and Local Solutions. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 2016 Minneapolis, MN

2014, Contributions and Collaborations: How Medical Anthropology can inform Medical Workforce Issues and Health Policy. Paper presented at Anthropology and Health Conference sponsored by the Croatian Anthropological Society and the Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia. August 2014, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

2013, Healthcare Reform and Collaborative Care: Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in Community Health Centers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 2013 Chicago, IL.

2013, Understanding Hunger in North Texas: Factors That Influence Food Security. Paper presented by co-authors Nancy Gillis and Lisa Quirk at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 2013 Chicago, IL.

2013, Synonyms for Engagement: Forging a Path for Anthropology in North Texas. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, March 2013, Denver, CO.

2012, Studying Distance Students: Methods, Findings, Actions. Wahl, D., Avery, B., & Henry, L. Paper Presented at the Fifteenth Distance Library Services Conference by co-author, April 2012, Memphis, TN.

2012, Physician Assistant Roles in the Provision of Care to the Medically Underserved. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, March 2012, Baltimore, MD.

2011, An Anthropological View of the Physician Assistant Movement in North America. Presentation at IMPACT 2011 AAPA's 39th Annual Physician Assistant Conference, June 2011, Las Vegas, NV.
(fully funded by conference to present)

Selected Books

2020, Henry, Lisa. Experiences of Hunger and Food Insecurity in College. Palgrave Macmillion.