Daniel Lende
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Areas of Expertise
Behavioral health problems, alcohol and drug use and abuse, eating disorders, preventive medicine
“Addiction is not a brain disease…It’s a people problem,” says Lende, who focuses on medical anthropology, the synthesis of biological and cultural anthropology, and applied anthropology. His research centers on behavioral health problems, particularly substance use and abuse. In Colombia he examined why people compulsively use drugs and why Colombia has such low rates of drug use, and he has expanded this approach to include heavy drinking, eating behavior and preventive medicine in the US. He has served as an administrator, counselor and research director in rehabilitation centers in Nigeria and Columbia.
