Sara Alavi

SOAS, University of London Postgraduate Award - Anthropology

Sara graduated from Brown University where she earned a BA with honours in Health and Human Biology on the social context of health and disease track. She developed an interdisciplinary interest in the intersections of social justice, healthcare, and community wellbeing. She earned the George W. Hagy Prize in Human Biology, awarded to a graduating student for their embodiment of the interdisciplinary spirit of the Human Biology program at Brown. Her honours thesis centred the perspectives of Community Health Workers and Peer Recovery Specialists who share lived experiences such as incarceration, substance use, and mental illness with their clients. This project was carried out in partnership with the Lifespan Transitions Clinic, a clinic providing holistic, relationship-centred care for formerly incarcerated people. During her Fulbright at SOAS, she hopes to apply her learning to the study of the cultural underpinnings of approaches to community wellbeing in communities marginalized by Western medical systems. Sara is excited to learn more about NHS care after custody programming for formerly incarcerated patients in the UK. As an avid reader, tea-lover, baker, and appreciator of nature, she is overjoyed to explore the libraries, cafés, and green spaces of London and the rest of the UK.