Denise Lewis (Class of 1998)
Former USA undergraduate and anthropology major Dr. Denise Lewis, now a professor
at the University of Georgia, is a gerontologist who has conducted cross-cultural
and transnational research with Cambodian refugees in the U.S. since she was an undergraduate
at USA. She credits her undergraduate experience for inspiring her to continue her
consideration of the lived experiences of families using anthropological methods with
a cross-cultural perspective.
Check out this successful USA alum’s website!
Denise C. Lewis, Ph.D., is a 1998 graduate of the University of South Alabama’s anthropology department. After earning her bachelor’s degree at USA, she earned her Master’s degree in Medical Anthropology (2000) and her Ph.D. in Gerontology (2005) from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Lewis is a cross-cultural family gerontologist and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, is affiliate faculty at the Institute for Gerontology, and is a faculty member in the Qualitative Inquiries in Research certificate program at the University of Georgia. She also is an adjunct faculty member at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and taught classes there as part of an educational abroad program she led from 2007-2009. She combines her knowledge of anthropology, gerontology, intergenerational relations, and research with her passion for teaching and mentoring. She maintains a global focus in both her teaching and research programs, she contributes to our understanding of the intersection of families, aging, culture and society by offering a view of ethnic diversity centered on the lived experiences of families. She has conducted cross-cultural and transnational research with Cambodian refugees in the US since she was an undergraduate at USA and launched research with elder-headed households in Cambodia in 2007. Dr. Lewis has published in many national and international journals and has presented her research at conferences around the world.
She credits her undergraduate experience at the University of South Alabama for inspiring her to continue her consideration of the lived experiences of families using anthropological methods with a cross-cultural perspective.