Get to know...Dr Caitlin Pilbeam
Before joining ANU…
I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, and completed a Fellowship funded by the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Medical Sciences Division, I taught qualitative research methods and worked on a diverse range of research projects across end of life, home and hospital care, assisted living technologies, global health, and health policy. I completed my PhD in Medical Anthropology and Primary Care at the University of Oxford in early 2020.
My role at ANU is …
with the Social Foundations of Medicine group, where I will be working on a number of research projects with Professor Christine Philips, Dr Anna Olsen, and Dr Louise Stone, as well as an education initiative related to the Master of Culture, Health and Medicine.
The reason I chose ANU is …
because of its reputation for excellence, and its exciting health-related research and teaching agenda that includes the social sciences as an important part.
The most famous person I've met…
Probably Francis Fukuyama, who gave me a signed copy of one of his books at a conference in Dubai (he spelled my name wrong).
The best advice I've ever heard…
‘Thank the flower for its life!’ Something my mother said to me in offhand annoyance after I had denuded a flower of purple petals to reveal what we called a ‘witch’s broomstick,’ and thrown it instantly to the wind, to see it fly. I had never thought twice about it. In her fleeting admonishment, my mother had unwittingly instilled in me – about 6 years old at the time – a lifelong awareness of the world around me, and an inclination towards living gently.
A famous person I'd like to have dinner with…
Descartes. As a medical anthropologist, I have questions.
The most adventurous thing I've ever done…
Moving to a country I’d never been to before (Australia) during a pandemic (would not recommend).
When I'm not working, you'll find me…
Singing, dancing, bushwalking, or cooking (and potentially up to three of those things at one time).