Update
This program is not available for admission in 2026. Alternative programs offering similar opportunities are available. Interested students can email students.cos@anu.edu.au for advice.
Study Culture, Health and Medicine at ANU
The Master of Culture, Health and Medicine (MCHAM) is the only interdisciplinary program of its kind in Australia, bringing important anthropological perspectives and social science research methodologies to the study of health.
This unique program is designed for graduates with an interest in the social sciences who are looking to move into health; clinicians looking to expand their cultural skillset, and healthcare professionals from government and non-government backgrounds who want to know more about the social and cultural contexts they are working in.
Drawing on regional and subject-matter expertise across a number of disciplines at ANU, the MCHAM is taught by leading ANU scientists, anthropologists, clinicians, and global health practitioners. Under their guidance, you will put the very nature of health, sickness and healing under the spotlight, examining it from angles including social, cultural, political, historical, and economic, and in both local and global contexts.
What you will learn
The MCHAM program teaches you to engage in informed debate demonstrating a critical understanding of the historical, political, institutional and cultural factors that frame health, illness and medical care.
You will learn how to conduct a social and cultural analysis of health practices and policy, and also how to design and implement interventions in public health and health promotion. These skills will equip you for working on a wide range of health-related issues in Australian and international contexts.
Through the contacts you make while studying in the program, you will also become part of our international community of highly-qualified academics and professionals, united by a deep desire to make a difference in the fields of health and medicine.
This Advanced program incorporates a research project supervised by an academic and is a gateway to further research, such as a PhD.
Key facts
- Advanced option available
- Access to state-of-the-art facilities
- Prior learning recognised
- #1 in Australia for graduate employability (Times Higher Education)
Careers
Graduates of the MCHAM have gone on to work in health-related fields in development, policy and education, in government, non-government, and international organisations. Many graduates of the Master of Culture Health and Medicine (Advanced) have also gone on to pursue a PhD in a wide range of disciplines.
Learning experience
A curious, humanitarian mindset
“What drew me to the MCHAM program is the social science courses which bring a different lens to medicine and public health.”
Discover how the School of Medicine and Psychology is imagining healthcare thro…
A professional change leader
“The knowledge I gained in the MCHAM helps me understand the context and paradigms within my own workplace - the mental health policy arena.”
Read Alisha's storyFees & scholarships
Fees
Please visit the Programs and Courses website for information about fees.
View fees View fees for advanced programScholarships
Whether you are looking for financial support to start your studies at ANU or help to move away from home for the first time, we have scholarship opportunities for you and your situation.
Key people
Professor Christine Phillips
Christine is a GP and researcher at the School of Medicine and Psychology, where she leads the Social Foundations of Medicine group. She is Medical Director of Companion House, the ACT’s refugee healthcare service, cofounder of the Refugee Health Network of Australia, and has worked as an Advisor to the UNHCR, the Migration Council of Australia, and federal and state government health departments. In 2020, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to medical education and migrant health.
Associate Professor Aparna Lal
Aparna's research at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health focuses on how the natural environment, including climate variability, impacts human health and wellbeing. Her projects combine public health surveillance with remote sensing, and land and water quality information to quantify, monitor and understand the processes that shape disease patterns.