In Conversation: Collaborative Research on the Cultural Dimensions of Ecological Instability

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Puerto Rico join Dean Howrsell's In Conversation Podcast to discuss how communities in South Florida and Puerto Rico are adapting to climate instability.  As climate instability has major public health implications, from extreme heat to changing disease patterns, these researchers examine how health systems and communities are adapting to new health challenges.  They also explore how cultural factors shape people's health-seeking behaviors and the resilience of health systems in the face of climate-related threats.We welcome Dr. Adriana M. Garriga-Lopez, Dr. Katherine Rynkiewich, and Dr. Patria C. Lopez to our latest edition of In Conversation with Dean Horswell!Dr. Adriana M. Garriga-Lopez is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Prof. Garriga-Lopez holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology (2010) from Columbia University in New York. Dr. Garriga-Lopez is the lead Principal Investigator on this project. Garriga-Lopez previously received an NSF (2021-2024), Award #2049565 on “Ethics of Care and Compounded Disaster”. She joined the faculty at the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in 2022. Garriga-Lopez is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico.Dr. Katharina Rynkiewich is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Prof. Rynkiewich holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology (2020) from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.A. in Social Sciences (2013) from The University of Chicago. Dr. Rynkiewich is the Co-Principal Investigator and has worked with Dr. Garriga-Lopez on establishing The Ethnographic Lab at Florida Atlantic since her arrival in 2022. Dr. Rynkiewich is originally from Mt. Vernon, Indiana.Dr. Patria C. Lopez de Victoria Rodriguez is Associate Professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey campus. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics in health from The Pennsylvania State University (2016) and is the PI of this project’s collaborative nexus. Lopez de Victoria has received funding from NIH (Award #R21MD013701; 2018-2020) and the Alzheimer’s Association (Award #AARG 20-685407; 2021-2024). She also leads a team of undergraduate students from diverse disciplines carrying out research with older adults in Puerto Rico.Dr. Patricia Noboa Ortega is Professor of Social Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey campus. Dr. Noboa Ortega holds a PhD in Psychology (2005) from the University of Puerto Rico. In 2017, Prof. Noboa Ortega co-founded the Legal and Psychological Clinic resulting from ethnographic research carried out in Puerto Rico on the psychosocial effects of Hurricane Maria. Her work has been published in the anthology, “Aftershocks of Disaster” (Haymarket Books). Dr. Noboa Ortega is Executive Director of PICSI: Proyecto de Integración Comunitaria San Isidro (San Isidro Community Integration Project).