Nina Lilian Etkin (June 13, 1948 – January 26, 2009) was an

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

and

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...

. Etkin was noted for her work in medical anthropology,

ethnobiology ] Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way living things are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between people, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.culture ...

, and

ethnopharmacology Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. Th ...

. She studied the relation between food and health for over thirty years. Her work involved complementary and alternative medicines for prevention and treatment in Hawai‘i; the use of

ethnomedicine Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The ...

s in Indonesia; and health issues in Nigeria. She won numerous grants and awards from national and international agencies and published several books as well as over 80 professional articles in peer reviewed journals.

Education and academic career

Etkin earned her undergraduate degree in zoology from Indiana University in 1970 and her MA and PhD in Anthropology in 1972 and 1975 from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Academic positions

*Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 1979–1983 *Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, 1983–1990 *Associate Professor of Anthropology,

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

, 1990–1994 *Full Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 1994–2009. *Chair of the Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 2001–2002 She was also a member of the medical faculty of the University of Hawai‘i.

Awards and honors

Etkin served as Editor in Chief of ''Economic Botany'', the journal of the Society for Economic Botany. She was a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a past president and honorary board member of the

International Society for Ethnopharmacology International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. Etkin won the 2009 Distinguished Economic Botanist Award from the Society for Economic Botany.

Publications

Books

*''Plants in Indigenous Medicine & Diet: Biobehavioral Approaches'', 1986 *''Eating on the Wild Side: The Pharmacologic, Ecologic, and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens'', 1994 *''Edible Medicines: An Ethnopharmacology of Food'', 2006 *''Foods of Association: Biocultural Perspectives on Food and Beverages that Mediate Sociability'', 2009

Memorials

* The Nina L. Etkin Memorial Fund supports graduate students at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “particularly those working in biocultural and medical anthropology”. * The UHM Campus Arboretum has an Akee tree (''

Blighia sapida The ackee, also known as ankye, achee, akee, ackee apple or ayee (''Blighia sapida'') is a fruit of the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family, as are the lychee and the longan. It is native to tropical West Africa. The scientific name honours Captain W ...

'') as a memorial namesake tree dedicated with a plaque; the species chosen reflects her research interest in cultural plant exchanges between Africa and the Caribbean. * A special issue of the newsletter of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology in 2009 collected testimonials from her students and colleagues.

References

External links

Nina L. Etkin Memorial Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etkin, Nina 1948 births 2009 deaths American women anthropologists American botanists University of Hawaiʻi faculty University of Minnesota faculty Washington University in St. Louis alumni Ethnobiologists Indiana University alumni Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Economic botanists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American anthropologists