<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Academic]]></title><description><![CDATA[UCSF Medical Cultures Lab (MCL) is an academic research institute at the University of California, San Francisco. The lab studies the social and cultural dimensions of medicine, healthcare, and aging. The site publishes research, blog posts, and events for academic and public audiences.
]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:12:46 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[From the Caribbean to the SF Bay Area — The Search for a Whole-Person Approach]]></title><description><![CDATA[In early 2024, my mentor, MCL PI Alissa B Sideman, led the interviews of our research project, “Family physicians’ perspectives on important outcomes and policies when caring for people with dementia.” The research included 20 semi-structured interviews and a demographic survey with family physician]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/from-the-caribbean-to-the-sf-bay-area-the-search-for-a-whole-person-approach</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8b31847596b2f520489</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:52:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sharifa Brooks-Smith-Lowe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The AcademyHealth ARM: Conference Fieldnotes and Reflections]]></title><description><![CDATA[Since I joined MCL last year, I’ve identified an interest in learning more about social interventions for older adults and their support networks. Through a career in research, I hope to contribute to long-term health care and supportive services available to older adults living with ADRD, their caregivers, and their families. ]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/the-academyhealth-arm-conference-fieldnotes-and-reflections</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8b5b853654bcedb7d32</guid><pubDate>Sat, 24 Aug 2024 05:48:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brandi Ginn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Learning from Interviews On the Go]]></title><description><![CDATA[Occasionally, MCL members receive requests for advice on qualitative and mixed methods studies. Here we will occasionally provide guidance from these conversations.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/learning-from-interviews-on-the-go</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8b61847596b2f520494</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 02:13:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sarah Garrett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Saturated with Qualitative Data]]></title><description><![CDATA[The concept of saturation plays an essential role in qualitative scholarship, and we may ask too much of it. Metaphorically, saturation occurs when a project or an investigator is soaked through with insights about their focus of inquiry—an experience that occurs repeatedly in the course of a qualit]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/saturated-with-qualitative-data</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec815b9feb7db43bad6d5</guid><pubDate>Sat, 09 Sep 2023 04:15:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Dan Dohan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Observing, Accepting, and Appreciating ADRD Caregiving]]></title><description><![CDATA[Brandi Ginn grew up in a small town on the East Coast that is two and a half hours from the nearest metropolitan city. Growing up, she watched her large extended family cope with aging, and for some, Alzheimer’s disease. She observed and accepted all she saw as part of life.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/observing-accepting-and-appreciating-adrd-caregiving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8b8934ce577916ca92a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Beth Thew and Brandi Ginn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Silicon Cage?: Qualitative Research in the Era of AI]]></title><description><![CDATA[Image: A Silicone Cage, generated with DALL.E2Artificial intelligence – AI – is the buzzword of 2023. The term refers to computer systems that learn to perform tasks previously requiring human judgement.AI conjures varied imagery: sentient machines from sci-fi who use artificial general intelligence]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/a-silicon-cage-qualitative-research-in-the-era-of-ai</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8bab853654bcedb7d3f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 02:49:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b90182_796de6be4eb9460bacd431ceac82345f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Corey M. Abramson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Growing Skills in Community Research Collaborations]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve been fortunate to participate in a number of studies that engage community members. In some studies, community members have provided light consultation. In other studies, there has been a deep collaboration between researchers and community members who guide the project. The MEND study, which I recently concluded, was the latter kind of project. It involved a deep collaboration during which I, the researcher, learned from and alongside 4 community advisers.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/growing-skills-in-community-research-collaborations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8bc1847596b2f5204a1</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 May 2023 06:58:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sarah Garrett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Engaging Key Voices in Work on Race, Gender and Health]]></title><description><![CDATA[Whose voice is part of community engagement? How do you ensure patients who are marginalized are heard? And who makes the decisions about what is shared with patients?]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/engaging-key-voices-in-work-on-race-gender-and-health</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8bd934ce577916ca93a</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Apr 2023 00:58:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Jen James and Beth Thew</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“Objective” and “Unbiased” Qualitative Research]]></title><description><![CDATA[Scientists like numbers. Words and narrative can help illustrate or describe research results, but scientists typically expect trustworthy results to take a numeric form. Well-trained researchers recognize that quantification does not assure unbiased objectivity. Nevertheless, in scientific communication, numbers enjoy the presumption of innocence while narrative triggers suspicions of subjectivity and bias. How can qualitative data from a small number of people be scientific?]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/objective-and-unbiased-qualitative-research</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8bf1847596b2f5204ab</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2023 02:40:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Dan Dohan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picking a Qualitative Method with Rigor and Reproducibility]]></title><description><![CDATA[Three cheers for NIH’s enshrinement of rigor and reproducibility (R&#38;R) as principles of research quality. First, who doesn’t love a little alliteration? Second, like all good poetry, R&#38;R are terse, thorough and thought-provoking. Third, R&#38;R have proved useful beyond their intended domain of bench and clinical science.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/picking-a-qualitative-method-with-rigor-and-reproducibility</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c1934ce577916ca948</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 02:35:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Dan Dohan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[So, you want to be an Ethnographer: Reflections and encouragement from a (very) Novice Fieldworker]]></title><description><![CDATA[In March 2022, I embarked on a journey to conduct ethnographic research via field work at multiple senior centers in my county. With a larger research team, I sought to understand the culture, values, and social environment of their setting. Our study, DiscernMC, aims to understand the lived experiences of people living with dementia (PLWD), specifically Alzheimer’s Disease, and their caregivers and providers.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/so-you-want-to-be-an-ethnographer-reflections-and-encouragement-from-a-very-novice-fieldworker</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c3b853654bcedb7d57</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2022 03:23:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Stephen Zamarripa</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding Your Path in Qualitative Research Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[Settling on a design for data collection and analysis is daunting for any qualitative researcher, especially those new to the field. There are books and other resources available to learn about qualitative research, but they often include jargon or assume background knowledge that can make it challe]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/finding-your-path-in-qualitative-research-design</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c5b9feb7db43bad891</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2022 23:59:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sarah Garrett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gap Year Learning in the Culture of Medicine]]></title><description><![CDATA["The Host is inviting you to join Breakout Room: 3.” I noticed my hands had tensed up as I moused over to click “Join” and start my next Multiple Mini Interview. Medical schools use the MMI to interview applicants; each mini-interview lasts 6-8 minutes, and in each short segment a new interviewer as]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/gap-year-learning-in-the-culture-of-medicine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c61847596b2f5204c0</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:54:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Lorraine Pereira</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Analytic Ethnography and Medical Culture]]></title><description><![CDATA[People everywhere are pre-equipped to navigate and understand culture, including the culture of medicine. If you have been a patient, if you have helped a family member or a friend when they were a patient, or if you have provided professional care for a patient, you have navigated medical culture. ]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/analytic-ethnography-and-medical-culture</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c8b9feb7db43bad89c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2022 04:56:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Dan Dohan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interpreting Language and Culture in Primary Care]]></title><description><![CDATA[Words matter. Speech acts. Utterances you may not even understand nevertheless can be powerful and cause harm due to misunderstanding. Yet, communication does not end with words alone. Bodies silently speak, inflecting a word in one way or another.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/interpreting-language-and-culture-in-primary-care</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8c9b853654bcedb7d6a</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2022 01:02:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Chris Koenig</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sailing as a team: Navigating ground-breaking and collaborative qualitative research]]></title><description><![CDATA[As qualitative researchers, we usually start our research solo. We submit grants alone, recruit alone, and spend time in the field alone. We then analyze our data and publish our papers. This solitude allows for depth.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/sailing-as-a-team-navigating-ground-breaking-and-collaborative-qualitative-research</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8ca1847596b2f5204ce</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2022 22:19:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Sahru Keiser, Thi Tran, Tamara Restrepo, Elena Portacolone</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Go Home and Fix Your Healthcare System": A Medical Anthropologist's Path]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ethnographic fieldwork is an anthropological research method that involves interviews and participant-observation. It enables a researcher to spend in-depth time immersed in people’s daily lives to gain an understanding of a particular topic or issue.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/go-home-and-fix-your-healthcare-system-a-medical-anthropologist-s-path</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8cbb9feb7db43bad8a5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:12:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Alissa Bernstein Sideman</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Investigating Culture and Reproductive Health]]></title><description><![CDATA[Where do we see culture in everyday life? How does culture affect individuals, interactions, and systems? How can we shift culture to reduce suffering and promote well-being? MCL member Sarah Garrett is a cultural sociologist working to understand and induce culture change in maternity care. ]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/investigating-culture-and-reproductive-health</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8cdb9feb7db43bad8a9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2022 23:35:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Beth Thew and Sarah Garrett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Narrative Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[“The Importance of Narrative ” was born of frustration.Narrative, or qualitative, research can be rigorous, well cited, and influential. Researchers in medicine and health policy, however, generally prefer numbers to narrative. ]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/why-narrative-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8ce934ce577916ca974</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2022 16:57:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Dan Dohan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[History, Biography and Motivation in Pandemic Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[In fall of 2020, I explained to a group of new sociology graduate students “what I do.” In these annual conversations, I often focus on my work as an ethnographer – a social scientist who observes people interacting in the real-world settings where life unfolds.]]></description><link>https://nep903.wixstudio.com/ucsf/post/history-biography-and-motivation-in-pandemic-times</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dec8d0b9feb7db43bad8b5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Aug 2022 01:18:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Corey Abramson</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>