Megan Duncanson

I am currently in the second year of the MA program, under the mentorship of Dr. Fabian Crespo.

About

Originally from Colorado, I received my BA in History from the University of Colorado in 2009. I returned to school after several years and a cross country move and started on my second BA at U of L in 2013. As an undergraduate student, I worked as a REACH LA for Anthropology. I gained valuable laboratory experience from both Dr. Rachel Neal in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, as well as with Dr. Fabian Crespo in the Department of Anthropology. I completed my second BA in Anthropology, minor Biology, in the spring of 2016.

I am currently in my final year of the MA program, under the mentorship of Dr. Fabian Crespo. I am working as a graduate teaching assistant in the department, as well as writing my thesis based upon previous work in Dr. Crespo’s laboratory. My research interests broadly concern understanding health and disease in past populations. More specifically, we utilize methods in experimental immunology to better understand stress, inflammation, and infection as evidenced in the bioarchaeological record. This is in conjunction to trying to understand how chronic infections may influence the immune system and its subsequent response to, and susceptibility to, future insults.

I have received support from the Department of Anthropology, as well as the Graduate Network of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate Student Council for both travel and research. I have received a great deal of support and encouragement to pursue the various projects and ideas that I have had. During my time at U of L I have presented at Research! Louisville, the Paleopathology Associations annual meeting, and twice at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists annual meeting.