​Anthropology is the study of people. It is a social science, and includes a range of approaches that span the humanities and the sciences. It is holistic: anthropologists study human culture, history, behavior, and biology. 

Public health is the science of promoting health in populations.
More info on public health: CDC, American Public Health Association
This chart shows how I view the distinctions between academic anthropology and public health practice:
Anthropology (Academic)
Both
Public Health (Practice)

Overarching goal



Methods (Qualitative)



Methods (Quantitative)


​Pace


​​Relationship toward theory
​

Work products 


​​
Knowledge production (add to the scholarly literature)
Improve population health and well-being 
​Interview, survey, focus groups
Statistics
Slower
Faster
​Generate theory
​Apply existing theory
Academic papers in peer-reviewed journals, books, book chapters, academic conference presentations
​Policy briefs, toolkits, logic models, and more!