Lance D. Laird

Boston University School of Medicine

Dr. Laird is assistant director of the Master of Science Program in Medical Anthropology. He completed degrees in religious studies and theology before receiving a Th.D. from Harvard Divinity School in comparative religion/Islamic studies. Laird’s ethnographic dissertation examined shared symbols of Muslims and Christians in Palestinian responses to military occupation. After teaching religious studies at The Evergreen State College (WA), his family returned to Boston. Laird began research on religions, medicines, and healing in Boston, supplemented by courses in medical anthropology at Boston University School of Public Health. He has focused on the interaction of American Muslims and healthcare—including health disparities, discrimination, religious assets for neighborhood health, free clinics, physician civic engagement, chaplaincy, im/migrant mental health, and intimate partner violence. Laird has also served as a qualitative research expert with several clinical projects at Boston University School of Medicine.

Areas of Expertise

• Anthropology
• Health and Medicine
• Immigration
• Religious Studies/Islamic Studies

Methodology

• Ethnographic Methods
• Interviews
• Qualitative Methods