Anthropologists in Dental Schools: Research Survey
Submitted 20/01/2026 by Christina Nicholas and Erin Blankenship-Sefczek
Hi!
Our team (Christina Nicholas, UIC; Erin Blankenship-Sefczek, Creighton U) is interested in career paths of PhD-trained anthropologists who work or have worked in a dental school or other dental-related setting on a full-time basis. We are both biological anthropologists whose careers have taken us to dental schools, and we’re hoping to learn more about others on this same path. We are therefore requesting your participation in an online survey (link below) for a research study we are conducting. This survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
We plan to present the aggregated results of this survey at the 2026 meetings of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists. By participating, your experiences can help inform graduate students and postdocs about potential career avenues.
Please share this email with any colleagues you may feel fit the inclusion criteria (PhD in Anthropology; have worked full-time in a dental school). Participants must be 18 years or older. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.
We very much value your feedback, and send our thanks in advance for sharing your time to complete our survey. (IRB: 2025-0775)
https://uic.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9BK2WMaGC6Mn06a
Kind regards,
Christina Nicholas, PhD (clnichol@uic.edu)
Associate Professor, Dept. of Orthodontics
University of Illinois Chicago
Treasurer, Dental Anthropology Association
Erin Blankenship-Sefczek (ErinBlankenship-Sefczek@creighton.edu)
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Oral Biology
Creighton University
Awards Committee Chair, Dental Anthropology Association
Christina Nicholas and Erin Blankenship-Sefczek
erinblankenship-sefczek@creighton.edu