Dr. Mary S. Willis
Ph.D. Washington University St. Louis, 1995
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Office: 928 Oldfather Hall
Email: mwillis2@unl.edu
Phone: (402) 472-9677
Fax: (402) 472-9642
Subfields:
Dental Anthropology
Medical Anthropology
Applied Anthropology
Major Research Interests:
Refugee resettlement, refugees from Sudan, cross-cultural health
Research Achievements:
2004 Leslie Hewes Award, Great Plains Research, for the best social science article published in GPR in 2004, May 2005.
RUNZA Spirit of Service Award, The University of Nebraska Lincoln, Student Involvement, and Runza Restaurant, April 5, 2005, for "Outstanding Contributions to the Community as a Faculty Member, 2005."
Research appeared as feature story in 'Research' section of The Chronicle of Higher Education, for story on refugee dental project, Interview (Katie Mangan) and Photo shoot, February and March 2005, Volume LI, Number 30, April 1, 2005.
"Letter to the Editor" with Robert K. Hitchcock, Christian Science Monitor, August 8, 2003, "Accepting Africa's refugees in the US?"
Grants:
Langeloth Foundation, New York, New York, for Anterior Dental Extraction and Restoration Among Nuer and Dinka Refugees from Sudan: A Unique Perspective on the Biology and Culture of Healing ($227,459), 2005-2007.
Recent and Representative Publications:
Willis, M.S., Harris, L.E., and Hergenrader, P.J. (2008) On traditional dental extraction: case reports from Dinka and Nuer en route to restoration. British Dental Journal 204(3):121-124.
Willis, M.S., Schacht, R.N. and Esqueda, C.W. (2007) College Student Perceptions of Those Missing Upper Front Teeth. Revise & resubmit, 2007.
Willis, M.S. and Buck, J.S. (2007) Dinka and Nuer Dietary Dilemmas: The Transition from Sudan to Nebraska. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 39(5):273-280.
Willis, M.S. and Badakhsh, R.A. (2006) "A Historical Perspective on the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Dentistry Class of 1961". Journal of Dental Education, 70(6):667- 675.
Willis, M.S. and Nkwocha, O. (2006) Health and Related Factors for Sudanese Refugees in Nebraska. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 8(1):19-33.
Willis, M.S., Swindler, D.R. and Toothaker, R.W. (2005) A Description of Nuer and Dinka Anterior Tooth Extractions, Practices and a Preliminary Odontometric Analysis of the Remaining Permanent Dentition. In E. ZadZinska (ed) Current Trends in Dental Morphology Research, Lodz, Poland: University of Lodz Press, 177-189.
Willis, M.S., Schacht, R.N. and Toothaker, R. (2005) Anterior dental extractions among Dinka and Nuer refugees in the United States: a case series. Special Care Dentistry 25(4): 193-198.
Willis, M.S. and Fernald, C.J. (2004) A View of Sudanese Refugee Resettlement through Nebraska's Print Media. Great Plains Research 14: 271-292.
Presentations:
Travers-Gustafson, D. and Willis, M.S. (2007) Social Constructionism, Life Course Theory and the Norm Disease of Aging: Osteoporosis. Podium Presentation, The Gerontological Society of America, Dallas, Texas.
Willis, M.S. and Toothaker, R.W. (2006) Dinka and Nuer Dental Impressions: On Sudanese Extraction and U.S. Restoration. Oral Presentation, Society for Applied Anthropology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Willis, M.S., Swindler, D.R. and Toothaker, R.C. (2005) A Description of Nuer and Dinka Anterior Tooth Extractions, Practices and a Preliminary Odontometric Analysis of the Remaining Permanent Dentition. Oral Presentation, 13th International Symposium on Dental Morphology, Lodz, Poland.
Willis, M.S., Pratt, M. and Einspahr, L. (2005) The Lost Boys and the Print Media: An Examination of Refugee Resettlement Policy, Programs, and Culture. Oral Presentation, Society for Applied Anthropology, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Schacht, R.N. and Willis, M.S. (2004) Teeth, Food, and Identity: Social Change Among the Dinka and Nuer of Sudan. Oral Presentation, Society for Applied Anthropology, Dallas, Texas.
Willis, M.S., Pratt, M. and Hitchcock, R.K. (2003) Refugee "Resettlement" and US Policies: Unsettling Experiences from Nebraska's Sudanese Community. Oral Presentation, Society for Applied Anthropology, Portland, Oregon.
Courses Taught:
Introduction to Anthropology, ANTH 110
Introduction to Physical Anthropology, ANTH 242/242L
Advanced Physical Anthropology, ANTH 442/842
Medical Anthropology, ANTH 422/822
Human Variation, ANTH 442/842
