Jonathan Wells, B.A. 2005

Site Medical Director, Family Physician at Neighborcare Health — Seattle, Washington

B.A., Cultural Anthropology (2005)

How has being a Cultural Anthropology graduate from Duke helped shape your professional success?

"I had a lot of questions when applying to medical school as to how I chose my degree or how I thought it would help. I feel Cultural Anthropology helped ground me in looking at people within their larger contexts (how the group speaks to individuals and how individuals speak to/within groups). I'm sure the same things that drew me to my degree also led me to practice Family Medicine in a community health center with its complexities and intersections of cultures/differences."

What advice would you give students in Cultural Anthropology?

"I chose to get my degree in Cultural Anthropology even while knowing I was interested in pursuing medicine and it has enriched what I have done since. I would tell students to not underestimate the value you get from thinking critically about the world we live in and its complexities and how we can have agency within it."

Jonathan Wells, 2005