Detail

Keywords

Anthropology, Medical

Research group(s)

• Unit Medical Anthropology and Global Health
  Head: Ruth Kutalek
  Research Area: Research at the Unit focuses on the socio-cultural implications and perceptions of infectious diseases (Ebola VD, Lassa fever, mpox, measles, yellow fever), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), reproductive health, female circumcision, access to health care for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations (e.g. migrants), human-animal-environment interactions (One Health), as well as anthropological perspectives in emergency response and humanitarian assistance.
  Members:
  Elena Jirovsky-Platter
  Ruth Kutalek

Research interests

Anthropological perspectives on infectious diseases and epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease, Lassa fever, measles, mpox, Covid-19; psycho-social situation of survivors; health seeking behavior in times of crisis;

Social science and environmental health: extreme heat and vulnerable groups

Social science informed disaster response: public participation/community engagement in disaster response; community distrust; vulnerable groups (e.g. people with disabilities, older people);

Trust and distrust in vaccines: vaccine saftey perceptions; vaccine hesitancy

Health care workers: occupational situation of health care workers during epidemics and crises; migration of health care workers

Ethnopharmacology: geophagy (consumption of clay) and its implications for public health in Africa and Asia

Medical teaching: diversity and structural/transcultural competence; graphic medicine

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

Qualitative study designs: semi-structured, in-depth and expert interviews; focus groups; participatory research and citizen science; art based methods (body mapping); after action reviews in epidemics; media analysis

Coding and analysis with the software atlas.ti;

Use of different theoretical frameworks, such as feminist and critical approaches;

Grants

• Sonar Cities – Risk Management For Vulnerable Populations In European Cities (2024)
  Source of Funding: EU, Horizon Europe
  Principal Investigator
• ISIDORe (2022)
  Source of Funding: EU, Horizon Europe
  Principal Investigator
• CAVE Community Engagement und Vulnerabilitäten in der Bewältigung von Epidemien (2021)
  Source of Funding: FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), KIRAS
  Coordinator of the collaborative project
• Risk factors and work situation of health workers in the COVID-19 epidemic (2020)
  Source of Funding: WWTF (Vienna Science and Technology Fund), COVID-19 Rapid Response Call
  Principal Investigator
• A Global Social Science Network for Infectious Threats and Antimicrobial Resistance – SoNAR-Global (2018)
  Source of Funding: EU, Horizon 2020
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Kutalek, R. et al. (2025) ‘The role of RCCE-IM in the mpox response: A qualitative reflection process with experts and civil society in three European countries’, Journal of Infection and Public Health, 18(7), p. 102787. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102787.
2. Huebl, L. et al. (2025) ‘Community perceptions of yellow fever and its treatment practices in regions with reported outbreaks in Uganda: A qualitative study’, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Edited by J. Zheng, 19(7), p. e0013251. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0013251.
3. Wojczewski, S., Grohma, P. and Kutalek, R. (2023) ‘Risk communication and community engagement with vulnerable groups: Perceptions of social-services CSOs during Covid-19’, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 94, p. 103817. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103817.
4. Kutalek, R. et al. (2023) ‘Community engagement: learning from low-income countries’, The Lancet, 401(10390), pp. 1767–1768. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(23)00568-8.
5. Jeleff, M. et al. (2022) ‘Vulnerability and One Health assessment approaches for infectious threats from a social science perspective: a systematic scoping review’, The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(8), pp. e682–e693. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196(22)00097-3.