Upcoming Events

A Population, Family, and Health Research Initiative

Tuesday, 01/12/2010
12:30 - 1:30
243 Journalism Building Dr. Rick Steckel, Professor of Economics, Ohio State Children of Adversity: The Health and Nutrition of American Slaves
Photo of Mother and Baby Son
IPR Administration Dr. John Casterline Director Dr. Pamela Salsberry Associate Director Susan Pennington Office Manager Jeanne Huba Grant Coordinator
Main Menu
People
Announcements
Research
Home > People > Faculty > Richard Steckel

Richard Steckel

chart
Professor, Department of Economics
Professor, Department of Anthropology
Professor, Department of History
The Ohio State University
454 Arps Hall
Columbus, Ohio 43210
phone: 614-292-5008

  • Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1977


  • Research Interests: I have two major research interests involving health.  First, two projects are underway to analyze historical stature from American slaves and from 19th century Plains equestrian nomads.  The former were extraordinarily short as children but grew rapidly as teenagers, while the latter were very tall.  The two populations, though living only a thousand miles apart were nearly polar opposites in terms of nutritional status.  Second, I have a very large project underway that collects and then analyzes skeletal data on health for 100,000 people who lived in Europe over the past 10 millennia.  We have ambitions to organize a larger, global project of this type.


  • Current Research:currently has three large projects, including a comparative international study of health and welfare during industrialization, and an interdisciplinary project involving physical anthropologists and economic historians on very long-term trends in health and nutrition in the Western Hemisphere.