ABOUT ME


Dr. Helfrecht with a group of adolescent Aka forest foragers in the Central African Republic.

I am a biocultural anthropologist, broadly investigating how ecocultural contexts affect child development and health. But I didn’t start out in this field – I graduated from the University of Virginia (BA ’97) with degrees in Archaeology and Anthropology, and worked for many years as a CRM archaeologist in the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic USA. Although I went to Koobi Fora Field School, it was having my two oldest children that motivated my interest in the evolution of childhood and human life history. I pursued this interest at Washington State University (MA ’09, PhD ’16). After graduating, I continued teaching  but also worked as a consulting anthropologist in public health – and had my third child. I am currently an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alabama. Roll Tide Roll! 


Courtney Helfrecht, PhD
15 ten Hoor
Box 870210
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
205.348.7293
​chelfrecht@ua.edu