Vol. 37, No. 1, Winter 2015 35 PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGY By Iveris L. Martinez Introduction An increased awareness of the social determinants of disease and the role of social factors in patient health outcomes may open up opportunities for applied anthropologists in the ield of medi- cine and other health sciences. Recent trends in medical education call for both increasing future physicians’ competen- cies in social and behavioral sciences, as well as teamwork and communica- tion. Cuff and Vanselow (2004:4) noted that: Skills in the behavioral and social sciences are essential for the pre- vention of many chronic diseases and for effective management of patients with these diseases… In addition good communication skills and the cross-disciplinary education discussed in this report will improve their ability to relate to their colleagues in medicine, as well as other professionals. In 2005, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) set forth a deinition of cultural competency as “a set of congruent behaviors, knowl- edge, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, organization, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situa- tions” (AAMC 2005:1). It “combines the tenets of patient/family-centered care with an understanding of the social and cultural inluences that affect the quality of medical services and treatment.” (emphasis mine) They also developed a tool to assess medical schools’ curricula in the coverage of cultural competence as a project titled: “Medical Education and Cultural INTEGRATING ANTHROPOLOGY IN MEDICAL EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND LESSONS Competence: A Strategy to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care” (AAMC 2005). A recent report by the AAMC (2011:24) outlines core behavioral and social science competencies for future physicians. While the document in many ways relegates the ield of anthropology to understanding the role of culture in the patient-physician in- teraction and describing “the inluence and potential implications of culture and community context on health behaviors, beliefs and outcomes, as well as how physicians should appro- priately integrate this knowledge into patient care,” it does provide a frame- work from which to interject social and behavioral sciences, and anthropo- logical knowledge and methods more broadly, into medical and pre-medical education. For example, anthropolo- gists are doing ethnographic research that can inform what the document calls “Health Care Goal Attainment, including the categories identiied as mind-body interactions, health promo- tion and wellness, treatment adher- ence, chronic illness management, and healthcare team eficiency. Changes in the medical school entrance exams (MCAT) have followed the AAMC recommendations. Medi- cal entrance exams will now require students to have a basic knowledge of social and behavioral sciences, as well as humanities. Two new content areas: Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior and Criti- cal Analysis and Reasoning Skill are an opportunity for anthropologists to prepare pre-medical students for the practice of medicine in the 21 st century. The sections test students’ knowledge of the social and behavioral determinants of health, as well as critical reasoning skills needed for medical school. Another important trend in medical, and health professions education more broadly, is the quality improvement movement and its emphasis on interpro- fessional teamwork and communication skills. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) (IPECEP 2011) released a report that is having a great impact in medical and health profes- sions education outlining competen- cies for interprofessional teamwork and collaboration. I These reports cited several reasons for interprofessional education, including the needs of an aging and diverse population, as well as the Affordable Care Act, which has, among other things, new inancial in- centives that reward care coordination, chronic disease management, and the reductions in readmissions, all of which can be realized through effective care teams. Now more than ever, anthropolo- gists have an opportunity to make a difference in the future of health care by shaping future health care provid- ers through their involvement in their education. The purpose of this paper is to describe my experiences as a practicing anthropologist in developing a under- graduate medical school curriculum that draws from an anthropological knowl- edge in two broad areas: addressing the social determinants of health in medi- cine and interprofessional teamwork for the health professions. Addressing Socioeconomic and Cultural Aspects of Health In 2007, I was hired by a brand new medical school to help develop their Medicine and Society curricular program. The curriculum was to focus on three main areas: 1) the ethi- cal foundations of medicine, 2) the social determinants of health, and 3)