Courtney Manthey is an applied medical and biocultural anthropologist whose work sits at the intersection of women’s health, public health, and community‑engaged research. She earned her MA in Anthropology (Biological) and a Master of Public Health Certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Colorado Denver in 2021. Her graduate training helped her turn deeply personal experiences into rigorous, socially engaged scholarship. At 19, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that came with uncertainty and limited explanations. “My journey with anthropology was very personal,” she explains. “When I was 19, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, better known as PCOS. I really struggled to find meaningful and useful explanations for what was happening to my body. It was through anthropology that I was finally finding those answers.” Anthropology gave her a way to connect biology, lived experience, and broader social systems, helping her make sense of her own body and health.
What stood out most to Courtney about CU Denver was the level of mentorship she received. Faculty supported her interests in maternal and child health and helped her refine them into concrete, community‑oriented projects. She notes, “I was really drawn to CU Denver because I felt like it actually offered a holistic framework, and it would help me gain a better understanding of what it means to be human across the four sub‑disciplines of anthropology.” Completing her MA during the COVID‑19 pandemic, she learned to navigate both the logistical and emotional dimensions of academic life with the guidance of Dr. Anna Warrener, whose resilience and adaptability continue to shape her approach to research.
Courtney remains actively engaged in collaborative research with Dr. Warrener, including a current project examining the obstetrical dilemma and how anthropological concepts shape medical education and clinical decision‑making. She encourages students to seek similar mentorship, emphasizing that relationships at CU Denver often extend beyond the classroom to support both academic and professional paths. Today, she is pursuing her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Montana, where her dissertation explores biocultural intersections of health, with an emphasis on ancient DNA, PCOS, and embodiment in the Pacific. While completing her doctorate, she serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and as a Health Equity Delegate for the Colorado Public Health Association. “Looking ahead, I hope to continue work that bridges anthropology and public health, with a strong emphasis on women’s health, ethics, and Indigenous data sovereignty,” she says, seeing the future of anthropology as increasingly collaborative, community‑driven, and publicly engaged.
