Althea Turley

Biotechnology

You can't properly care for someone's health if you don't also observe the wider systems around the person and the influence of their culture and histories.

 

Professionally, I started my career in biotech where I worked on infectious fungal disease detection for about five years. After that, I transitioned to my current career with an education non-profit formally associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. In both careers, my mission was to educate the public on issues threatening us today- whether it be the rise of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens and hospital-acquired infections, or the items on the United Nations agenda today. 

Anthropology classes made the most sense to me; sometimes cause and effect does not operate in the ways we would expect it to. I was fascinated with how anthropology explains so much of the world. My experiences in anthro also encouraged me to think about how something foreign or strange might not be good or bad, just different. 

Anthropology taught me just how interconnected our world and histories are. You can't properly care for someone's health if you don't also observe the wider systems around the person and the influence of their culture and histories. Similarly, it's impossible to solve issues on the global sustainable development agenda without acknowledging that even simple solutions may not be the right fit across different contexts.
 

[Interview edited on 2025]