Malcolm P. Cutchin, PhD

Associate Professor
CB #7122, Bondurant Hall, Suite 2050
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7122
Office Phone:  (919) 843-4472
Email:  mcutchin@med.unc.edu

Personal Statement

Malcolm Cutchin began his appointment in the Division of Occupational Science in August 2005. He received a BA in Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1984 and a MA and PhD in Geography at the University of Kentucky in 1992 and 1995. He previously held appointments at Middlebury College (Geography) and the University of Texas Medical Branch (Occupational Therapy & Sealy Center on Aging). Malcolm also is a Senior Research Scientist at the UNC Institute on Aging, and he is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Gerontology. His research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Cancer Institute, and his work generally falls into the category of human-place relationships and well-being. Project foci have included rural physicians and communities, assisted living residences, ethnic populations living near petrochemical plants, and preventive home visits for at-risk older adults. He uses both qualitative and quantitative methods in research, and he has an abiding interest in philosophy and theory—the writings of John Dewey and those that study Dewey figure prominently in his thinking and writing. Malcolm has been actively involved in groups within the Association of American Geographers and the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA.

Courses taught

PhD Seminar: Theories of Action (OCSC 890)
Research in Occupational Science and Therapy (OCCT 704)
Research Seminar in Occupational Science (OCCT 890, 992)

Research Interests

Geographical dimensions of aging (residential and community-based care for older adults)
Health geography (social epidemiology, rural health care)
American pragmatism (Dewey’s in particular) and its utility for inquiry

Recent publications

Peek, M. K., Cutchin, M. P., Salinas, J., Sheffield, K., Eschbach, K., Goodwin, J. (in press). Allostatic load among non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks,    and Hispanics: Effects of race, ethnicity, nativity, and acculturation. American Journal of Public Health. 

Heatwole Shank, K. H., & Cutchin, M. P. (in press). Transactional occupations of older women aging in place: Negotiating change and meaning. Journal of Occupational Science. 

Cutchin, M. P., Aldrich, R. M., Bailliard, A., & Coppola, S. (2008). Action theories for occupational science: The contributions of Dewey and Bourdieu. Journal of Occupational Science, 15, 157-165.

Cutchin, M. P., Martin, K. R., Owen, S. V., & Goodwin, J. S. (2008). Concerns about petrochemical health risk before and after a refinery explosion. Risk Analysis, 28, 589-601. 

Cutchin, M. P. (2008). John Dewey’s metaphysical ground-map and its implications for geographical Inquiry. Geoforum, 39, 1555-1565. 

Peek, M. K., Cutchin, M. P., Freeman, D. H., Perez, N. A., & Goodwin, J. S. (2008). Perceived health change in the aftermath of a petrochemical accident: An examination of pre-disaster, within-disaster, and post-disaster variables. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62, 106-112. 

Cutchin, M. P. (2007). Therapeutic landscapes for older people: Care with commodification, liminality, and ambiguity. In A. Williams, (Ed.), Therapeutic landscapes: Advances and applications, (pp. 181-198). Aldershot: Ashgate.

Andrews, G. J., Cutchin, M., McCracken, K., Phillips D. R., & Wiles, J. (2007). Geographical gerontology: the constitution of a discipline. Social Science and Medicine, 65, 151-168.

Cutchin, M. P. (2007). From society to self (and back) through place: Habit in transactional context. OTJR: Occupation, Participation, and Health, 27, 50S-59S.

Meyler, D., Stimpson, J., & Cutchin, M. P. (2007). Landscapes of Risk: Texas City and the petrochemical Industry. Organization & Environment, 20, 204-212.

Cutchin, M. P. (2007). The need for the “new health geography” in epidemiologic studies of environment and health. Health & Place, 13, 725-742.

Cutchin, M. P., Dickie, V., & Humphry, R. (2006). Transaction vs. interpretation, or transaction and interpretation? A response to Michael Barber. Journal of Occupational Science, 13, 97-99.

Dickie, V., Cutchin, M. P., & Humphry, R. (2006). Occupation as transactional experience: A critique of individualism in occupational science. Journal of Occupational Science, 13, 83-93.

Cutchin M. P. (2005). Spaces for inquiry into the role of place for older people’s care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 14(S2), 121-129.

Cutchin, M. P., Chang, P. F., & Owen, S. V. (2005). Expanding our understanding of the assisted living experience. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 19, 5-22.