This fund was established by Allan F. Burns and Alba Amaya Burns in 2005 for the purpose of supporting graduate students in the Department of Anthropology who research in Latin America on topics of medical anthropology, human rights or applied anthropology.

Allan was born December 18, 1945. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 1968. He then attended the University of Washington, where he received his master’s degree in 1970 and his doctoral degree in 1973. Allan and Alba are both UF faculty members. Allan is a professor of anthropology and Latin American studies at UF and Chair of the Department of Anthropology.

Before coming to Florida, Allan worked for a private research company in Cambridge, MA, evaluating bilingual education programs in the southwest. Throughout his career, his research has focused on the Mayan language and culture in the Yucatan of Mexico, Chiapas, Guatemala, and among Guatemalan refugees in Florida.