Tropical Conservation & Development Program
UF Center for Latin American Studies
Dr. Katharine McNamara is the recipient of the 2025 Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award
| Our congratulations go to Dr. Katharine McNamara for being selected the 2025 recipient of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program in the Center for Latin American Studies. Dr. McNamara is the 16th recipient of this prestigious dissertation award that honors Dr. Marianne Schmink for her significant and transformative contributions to graduate education, the Center for Latin American Studies and the TCD Program. Dr. Marianne Schmink was instrumental in establishing the early interdisciplinary research and training programs that evolved into the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) program in the 1980’s. Dr. McNamara completed her dissertation in One Health in the Department of Environmental and Global Health in May 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Sarah McKune. She also received Graduate Certificates in Latin American Studies and Tropical Conservation and Development. Her dissertation was entitled “People, Plants, and Pandemics: Tracing multispecies relationships during disease crises.” The Schmink Dissertation Award selection committee was impressed by Dr. McNamara’s ability to “highlight the intersections of ecological conservation, public health, and local livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic in Loja in the Ecuadorian Andes”. Her project is an outstanding example of how theory can inform practice during a socio-ecological crisis such as COVID-19. Please read the complete announcement here and join us in congratulating Dr. Katharine McNamara! |
