Medical travel in Asia: Therapeutic quests for hearts and hips

This critical medical anthropological study will research case studies of foreign patients travelling to Thailand and Malaysia seeking (1) cardiac surgeries, including controversial adult stem sell therapies, and (2) orthopedic surgeries. the case studies will explore the experiences and motivations of patients travelling for reasons of affordability, availability or accessibility of treatments. The study will the the first in South-East Asia and will address significant gaps in our understanding of this new form of medical care and mobility in our region. It will also contribute to theoretical understandings of health governance, biological citizenship, and the body as a commodity.