Maia Casna, PhD

Intoxicants have shaped human lives for centuries, yet their health consequences remain poorly understood. My research explores the impact of substances such as tobacco and sugar on health in several Dutch skeletal populations. Using a combination of macroscopic and biomolecular methods, my research examines how patterns of substance use were intertwined with social identity, highlighting how socioeconomic class, occupation, and lifestyle influenced both exposure to and the effects of intoxicants in the past.

In collaboration with the Leiden University Medical Center, this project investigates how the ear canal responds to infection. By integrating clinical expertise with osteological analysis, we aim to improve the understanding of ear disease in the archaeological record. The goal is to provide future biological anthropologists with stronger contextual frameworks for interpreting evidence of ear pathology in past populations.

I am a co-founding member of the Bioarchaeology Respiratory Network, a group of researchers who all have an interest in investigating the history and archaeology of respiratory disease in past populations. The network organizes symposiums, workshops, and conference sessions to share research and methods in the paleopathology of respiratory disease. The final aim is to provide a forum for discussion and exchange within the discipline, encouraging more early-career academics to share their research and engage in interdisciplinary dialogue.

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