I am a medical anthropologist interested in how societies organize care in times of institutional uncertainty and social change. Through ethnographic research, I examine how health systems, public policies, and community organizations shape people’s experiences of illness, vulnerability, and responsibility.
My research spans two long-term projects. In the United States, I study opioid use, homelessness, and the challenges of building integrated systems of care across fragmented health and social service infrastructures in both rural and urban communities. In Serbia, I examine oncology care, pharmaceutical governance, medical decision-making, and the lasting effects of postsocialist transformation on healthcare institutions. Across both settings, I ask what kinds of labor, institutions, and political decisions make care possible, and who ultimately bears the burden when systems fall short.
I received my Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota. I am currently a Research Affiliate at Colgate University and a Scholar in Residence at Hamilton College. My teaching bridges anthropology and public health, where I have developed and taught courses in medical anthropology, global public health, pharmaceuticals, health and technology, humanitarianism, migration, memory and trauma, and social inequality.
My broader interest lies in how ethnographic research can offer insights that inform evidence-informed decision making while contributing to academic and public conversations. I see ethnography not only as a way of understanding people’s lived experiences, but also as a means of generating knowledge that deepens our understanding of health, care, institutions, and social change.
Milica Milic-Kolarevic 