Outside of my academic pursuits, some of my hobbies include reading, traveling, completing puzzles, and spending time with my animals. I have a dog named Boris and a cat named Tazz, both of which love to explore the outdoors with me!

My favorite genre is historical fiction and some of my favorite authors include Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Yaa Gyasi. I have been to six countries and hope to travel more in the upcoming years!

Some of my passions include disability advocacy, environmental justice, and expanding helathcare acess for aging populations.

Kelsey Cook

I was born in Cape Coral, Florida and graduated from North Fort Myers High School in May of 2021. During my gap year post-graduation, I worked as a Resident Assistant in a memory care unit, Direct Care Provider for children with autism, Registered Behavioral Technician at an ABA clinic, and provided in-home care.

I will graduate from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a certificate in Medical Anthropology in the Summer of 2026. I have minors in African Studies, Health Disparities in Society, and Statistics.

My academic interests lie at the intersections of medicine, culture, and aging. I became drawn to this work through my experiences in both clinical and caregiving settings, as well as ethnographic research in Tanzania focused on the impact of age in pain care.

I am particularly interested in the aging population and barriers to equitable dementia care. I am pursuing an MD-PhD in Anthropology to continue exploring how medical systems and cultural meaning shape care for older adults. A focus of my research is how structural and social factors influence who receives care and how it is experienced. I will be applying for MD-PhD programs in the Spring of 2027.