It takes a large, talented, dedicated team to do what we do. Our Culture, Health, Environment, and Language Lab (CHELab)  is where we come together to push forward an array of social science research projects.

What do we do in CHELab?

  • We conduct collaborative and cross-cultural research.
  • We pilot new project ideas.
  • We innovate rigorous, cutting-edge ethnographic research methods.
  • We train others in ethnographic methods.
  • We provide real-world research opportunities for up to 50 students per semester (including online students).
  • We do research on the best ways to train others to do social science.
Two women standing together smiling Description automatically generated

The core CHELab team includes (L to R):  Linguistic anthropologist Cindi SturtzSreetharan, educational anthropologist Alissa Ruth, biocultural anthropologist  Alexandra Brewis, cultural anthropologist Amber Wutich. We have worked closely together for more than 20 years, valuing what everyone brings to the table. As of 2024, we have more than a dozen academic books and >200 research articles that we published together as a team, including many with our students as collaborators.

We welcome scholars, postdocs, and students from any field to get involved in any of our ongoing projects. Office and lab space is available for sabbatical visitors. Contact any of us to find our how.

Some of the core CHEL team in 2019 (from left): Former PhD student Anais Roque (now faculty at Duke), Cindi, Amber, Alex, recent Fulbright visiting fellow Neetu Choudhary, former post-doc Roseanne Schuster (now faculty at ASU), former postdoc/PhD student Melissa Beresford (now faculty at San Jose State), CGH coordinator Charisse Jennas.
Fall 2019 CHELab undergrad meet and greet
  • Qualitative analysis retreat
  • Former student lab members Drew Blasco (now doing a PhD at NYU) and Meg DuBray (now faculty at Augustana College) presenting GES findings
  • Alex, Neetu, Alissa at the IAPA annual fundraising dinner (our students intern in Chennai with IAPA)
  • Alissa and lab-friend Russ Bernard at the annual student poster competition
  • Data collection team ready to start surveying
  • ASU homecoming outreach
  • Students doing outreach on child nutrition at the local library
  • Lab group 2016
  • Lab meeting
  • Amber and Alex with McKenzie Cotlow (center), first ever Global Health UG degree graduate in the US, 2008
  • Piloting data collection on the ASU mall
  • Former PhD student Melissa Beresford (now faculty at San Jose State) on her big day
  • Student Olivia Runes presenting lab team research
  • Outreach with pre-schoolers
  • Lab member Paula Kibuka Musoke completes her honors thesis (Alex, Amber, Paula, Roseanne)
  • Lab member Anais Roque (center) passes her MA
  • PhD!
  • Lab members PhD student Charlayne Mitchell and undergrad Sara Rodriguez enjoying their awards
  • End of year white elephant luncheon
  • GIC visits USAID HQ in DC (Roseanne Schuster, Alex, Peggy Ochandarena)
  • Another award for Amber
  • More awards - Charlayne, Meski, awardee Amber, Christine, Rhian
  • CHEL on the road (Alex, Cindi, former postdoc Seung YongHan - now faculty at ASU)
  • HWISE team in DC (Amber and Alex on left)
  • Hiding out in the ASU secret garden (Amber , Cindi, Alex, collaborator Jessica Hardin, and former postdoc Sarah Trainer now faculty at Seattle U)
  • Celebrating work-life balance
  • Celebrating life transitions
  • Dr Meredith Gartin, inaugural CHEL lab PhD, and the first global health PhD at ASU (now faculty at U Alabama)
  • Roseanne and Alex (right) in DC with HWISE and policy makers
  • Writing retreat