For more than 20 years Dr. Susi Keefe has developed community-engaged teaching and research opportunities, partnerships, and pathways for institutions, departments, and students with collaborators within and outside academia. Dr. Keefe is an applied medical anthropologist with a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Brown University and an undergraduate self designed major in Culture, Health, & Science from Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Keefe brings a rich theoretical foundation to her community-engaged practice, research, and teaching, particularly in understanding how culture and power intersect to shape inequities. Her publication record, grant history, and ongoing community partnerships demonstrate her commitment to translate anthropological insights into meaningful community-engaged practice.
Dr. Keefe's research spans both global and local contexts. Her international work includes extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Tanzania examining reproductive health, intimate relationships, and gendered practices among Swahili Muslims along the coast. This research, supported by a Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Fellowship, resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications exploring how cultural and religious factors influence contraceptive choices, marital relationships, and women's entrepreneurship.
Since 2023 she has led two projects in Thailand focusing on the social determinants of health and health inequities in two primary areas: social participation in policy making and Hmong women’s health in rural northern Thailand. Dr. Keefe and her team of MPH students work with the National Health Commission Office of Thailand (NHCO) using photovoice to examine the challenges and benefits of Thailand’s novel approach to social participation in policymaking. This work directly addresses how community-engagement and participation can influence national health policies. In partnership with SEASA, a Hmong led community based organization in rural Northern Thailand, Dr. Keefe and her team conducted collaborative community-engaged research on women’s health, focusing on nutrition, marriage, and pregnancy. In both projects, Dr. Keefe employs community-engaged methods and practices, ensuring that the perspectives, expertise, and experiences of the impacted communities are central to the research process.
Locally, Dr. Keefe has established herself as a leader in collaborative community-engaged research and teaching addressing health inequities in the Twin Cities. She has led numerous projects embedded in her courses and curriculum – curating community-engaged learning by bringing undergraduate and graduate students into the work. She has partnerships with private, public, non profit, government, and community based organizations including the Minnesota Department of Health, Family Tree Clinic, Urban Farm and Garden Alliance, Hamline Elementary School, MN Prison Doula Project, Ostara Initiative, Association for Non-Smokers, and Our Streets.
Dr. Keefe currently sits on the governing council of the Minnesota Public Health Association and is a co-founder and co-leader of the Cross-Campus Food Access Coalition (CFAC). In 2017 students at Hamline University asked for her support in addressing student food insecurity and the role the university can play in addressing this issue – nearly a decade later she is a leader of addressing college food insecurity. CFAC is an action team of the Metro Food Justice Network and integrates direct services, co-curricular and curricular opportunities, and research initiatives in partnership with students, staff, faculty, and university leadership. This work exemplifies her commitment to working with community to address needs with collaborative, culturally responsive and community-engaged methodologies.
Dr. Keefe’s extensive expertise in qualitative research methodologies, with particular focus on photovoice, ethnography, participant observation, and mixed-methods approaches, but always with deep commitment to and engagement with community partners. She is particularly recognized for her expertise in photovoice methodology, having led multiple projects that center impacted communities' voices and experiences through visual storytelling. Her innovative approach to teaching integrates community-engaged research into undergraduate and graduate curriculum, preparing the next generation of students (especially those studying public health) to work effectively with community.
