Claire Sterk

Claire Elizabeth Sterk is a Dutch scientist and Charles Howard Candler Professor of Public Health at Emory University. Sterk held faculty positions in medical anthropology, sociology, and women's health, gender, and sexuality studies at Emory.

Research Sterk has been Charles Howard Candler Professor of Public Health at Emory since 2000. Sterk is a leading figure in both public health and anthropology studying addiction, mental health, and HIV/AIDS. She was the first person to identify the risk of HIV infection due to unprotected sex among crack cocaine users.

Sterk received a PhD in sociology from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and her doctorandus degree in medical anthropology from the University of Utrecht. Her undergraduate degree is from the Free University in Amsterdam. She has since written another book. She has also published more than 100 articles and book chapters. Prior to that time, she had served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

Sterk speaks four languages. and elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.