The Department of Anthropology is very pleased to announce that Tazin Karim, doctoral candidate in the medical anthropology program, was recently awarded the Dissertation Fieldwork Grant from The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. This grant will fund her ongoing project which looks at the circulation and use of ADHD medications among US college students. Studies show that up to 35% of college students have illicitly taken a prescription stimulant such as Adderall or Vivance at some point during their college years. Taz’s research draws on interview and participant observation data to understand why this behavior is occurring and how is actively influencing expectations of mental health and academic performance in American Higher Education.

Taz is the first student from Michigan State University to receive this award since 2008 and the first ever from the Medical Anthropology Program.