Dr. Bernstein's research program aims to unite theoretical and methodological approaches from the fields of anthropology, nutrition, and physiology to understand variation in human growth and development within an evolutionary, adaptive, and applied framework. She is currently the PI on a multi-year study based in The Gambia, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which explores in great detail the endocrine, epigenetic, and metabolomic correlates of normal and stunted infant growth. She recently completed another study in The Gambia that measured variation in breast milk bioactive factors in the context of the pronounced seasonality in this region. In addition to working in the field, she directs the Growth and Development Lab at CU Boulder, which uses enzyme and chemiluminescent assay and mid-infrared spectrometry methods to assess biomarkers related to growth and health.
keywords
human and nonhuman primate growth and development, endocrinology, maternal-infant physiology, global health, life history evolution, lactation biology and breastfeeding, professional development and mentoring
ANTH 2020 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology 2
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Spring 2018 / Summer 2018 / Spring 2019 / Summer 2019
Continuation of ANTH 2010. Emphasizes genetics, human variation, and microevolution. Recommended prerequisite: ANTH 2010..
ANTH 2040 - Laboratory in Biological Anthropology 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Experiments and hands-on exercises designed to enhance understanding of the principles and concepts presented in ANTH 2020. One two-hour class per week. Recommended corequisite: ANTH 2020.
ANTH 7620 - Seminar: Ethnography and Cultural Theory
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Spring 2019
Explores how ethnographic writing has evolved over the past century to incorporate different forms of cross-cultural representation and to accommodate new theoretical paradigms. Includes ethnographic authority and reflexivity, as well as embedded theories and blurred genres of cultural research.
