Darwin Rodriguez
- Assistant Professor // Anthropology
Darwin Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Health Anthropology at Purdue University. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine and a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Kalamazoo College. His research examines the intersections of substance use, bureaucracy, and care, focusing on how NGOs and treatment centers understand and respond to chemsex: the use of psychoactive substances during sex, most often associated with gay men.
Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Los Angeles, his dissertation examines how community organizations and health providers frame and address this practice, and how the legacies of HIV/AIDS and the War on Drugs continue to shape approaches to care in LGBTQ+ communities. His work draws on medical anthropology and the anthropology of NGOs to study public health interventions. At UC Irvine, he served as a teaching assistant for courses across anthropology, sociology, political science, and Chicano studies. Before conducting researching, Rodriguez worked in community-based initiatives addressing health and educational inequities. He is fluent in English and Spanish.
Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Los Angeles, his dissertation examines how community organizations and health providers frame and address this practice, and how the legacies of HIV/AIDS and the War on Drugs continue to shape approaches to care in LGBTQ+ communities. His work draws on medical anthropology and the anthropology of NGOs to study public health interventions. At UC Irvine, he served as a teaching assistant for courses across anthropology, sociology, political science, and Chicano studies. Before conducting researching, Rodriguez worked in community-based initiatives addressing health and educational inequities. He is fluent in English and Spanish.