ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the insights and priorities of medical anthropology and then illustrates how they can clarify important health issues in contemporary American society. It also illustrates the relevance of medical anthropology to a fuller understanding of health problems that confront contemporary society and suggests avenues for continued explorations in the field. Graduate programs in medical anthropology will have to re-tool and find new and creative ways to combine with advanced training in related fields, from global health to nursing. The future is bright for medical anthropology, both because it is gaining a foothold in an increasing number of countries around the world and because its insights are slowly penetrating into the academic, political, and public discourse about health. The chapter concludes with brief comments about future direction in medical anthropology and suggestions for advanced training in the field.
