SUNY Potsdam Anthropology Professor Emerita Dr. Patricia Whelehan has been selected to receive a lifetime achievement honor from the AIDS and Anthropology Research Group (AARG), in recognition of her service and accomplishments throughout her career.
Whelehan was chosen as the recipient of the 2018 Moher Downing Distinguished Service Award from AARG, the organization’s highest honor. The longtime faculty member retired from SUNY Potsdam in 2014.
The Moher Downing Distinguished Service Award is given to a living anthropologist in recognition of her or his exceptionally meritorious contributions to the improvement of the health of people infected with or at risk of infection with HIV.
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Whelehan is a medical anthropologist, certified sex therapist and certified HIV test counselor. She has authored numerous books, including “Women and Health: Cross-Cultural Perspectives” and “An Anthropological Perspective on Prostitution, Vol. 4.” She is the co-author of “The Anthropology of AIDS: A Global Perspective,” with Thomas Budd. Along with Anne Bolin, she is the co-author of “The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality” and “Human Sexuality: Biological, Psychological and Cultural Perspectives.”
In her role as a faculty member and campus AIDS education coordinator, Whelehan oversaw the SUNY Potsdam AIDS Education Group and led annual candlelight memorials. She helped to bring a display of sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Potsdam. Whelehan also organized a Toothbrushes for Malawi program to donate oral health supplies to impoverished residents in the country, where nearly a third of the population is HIV positive, and where sharing a toothbrush may mean risking HIV infection. She also was an active volunteer for Reachout, the county crisis hotline and referral service, during her time at the College.
Following her retirement, Whelehan has moved to San Francisco, her research base since 1981. She has served as a reader for several former students’ master’s and Ph.D. proposals and theses, and as a reviewer for AARG’s student and professional research award papers. She has continued to write, including blog posts on sexuality in women over the age of 50 and the culture surrounding menopause, for the Huffington Post. Whelehan is also a consultant for Legal Aid of New York City.
AARG is a network of scholars, activists, and practitioners interested in research on HIV/AIDS. Established in 1987, AARG is an interest group of the Society for Medical Anthropology, which is a section within the American Anthropological Association.
The mission of the anthropology department at SUNY Potsdam is to provide students with knowledge of the five fields of anthropology and to give them practical experience in communities so that they can approach the world professionally and anthropologically. To learn more, visit https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Anthro.
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 3,600 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.
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