Mark Patterson , Ph.D

Co-Principal Investigator; Professor of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, Kennesaw State University

Geographer, Author, Traveler, Educator, Homebrewer. Mark combines his love of travel and beer with his scholarly activities, having researched beer in over 50 countries. This has turned into several publications including, The Geography of Beer: Regions, Environment, and Societies (2014), Atlas of Beer (2017), The Geography of Beer: Culture and Economics (2020), and The Geography of Beer: Policies, Perceptions, and Places (2023). Mark oversees the mapping components for this NSF project, which entails creating a mobile mapping app, spatial analyses of grogue production and consumption sites, and land use change analysis.

Monica Swahn, Ph.D

Co-Principal Investigator; Dean of the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Monica Swahn is co-PI and is a professor of health promotion and physical education and the dean of the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University. Trained specifically as a psychiatric/alcohol epidemiologist, she has extensive domestic and global research experience including research administration and capacity building. She has conducted community-based research across sub-Saharan Africa for well over a decade, with several projects funded by the NIH. She has over 125 peer-reviewed publications with a specific focus on health disparities and mental health and alcohol use in vulnerable populations, including the intersections of alcohol production, consumption patterns, and human security. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Makerere University in Uganda (2016-2018), with the launch of the Alcohol and Addictions Research Centre (ADARC) as a key outcome. She has been a consultant to the WHO and the UNDP on alcohol policy development. Swahn has four research areas that inform this project on artisanal alcohol production and consumption: (1) The prevalence and psychosocial correlates of alcohol harm in vulnerable populations in East Africa primarily in Kampala, Uganda and in Moshi, Tanzania. (2) Understanding the policy context and human security related to unrecorded artisanal alcohol production. (3) Understanding how community-based and non-government organizations engage in alcohol related harm prevention and capacity building in West Africa. And (4) the alcohol policy environment and its influence on alcohol-related harm in the United States.

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Nancy Pullen, Ph.D

Co-Principal Investigator; Professor of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Nancy Hoalst-Pullen is co-PI and professor of geography and geospatial sciences in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Kennesaw State University, with expertise in beer geographies, biogeography, and cartography. She is the co-author of the National Geographic Atlas of Beer (2017), co-editor of the series “Geography of Beer” (2014, 2020, 2024), and a founding contributor and Immediate Past President of the Wine, Beer, and Spirits specialty group of the American Association of Geographers. With Dr. Patterson, Nancy is one half of the dynamic duo known as The Beer Doctors. In their capacity as National Geographic Explorers, they have traveled to more than 40 countries on six continents to explore the functions and influences of beer and brewing from unique and sometimes overlapping historical, economic, cultural, environmental, and physical viewpoints. Additional research has examined the intersections of cultural diasporas and beer, the role of sustainability in production and craft brewing, the geographies of beer, wine, and spirits at local to global scales, and the influences of local geographies on water, starch (malt), hops, and yeast. Nancy and Mark are well versed in creating mobile apps and online websites (StoryMaps) that incorporate geographic information systems (GIS) for data collection and dissemination. Combining these two aspects (alcohol and GIS) facilitates the creation and understanding of alcohol-scapes. They support the project with training and managing data collection, photography, videography, and in site surveying and mapping, and facilitate the production of maps and quantitative analyses.

Maria de Lourdes Silva Gonçalves 

Project Consultant, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Management and Policies, University of Cabo Verde

Lourdes Gonçalves is an assistant professor at University of Cabo Verde where she works in university administration in the roles of Pro-Rector for University Extension (2020-2022); Vice-President of the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (2018-2020); Member and Coordinator of the Permanent Committee for Strategic Development, Research and Scientific Management at the Uni-CV Scientific Council (2015-2021); Member of the Scientific Council (2023-2027); Member of the Uni-CV Quality Council (2018-2023); and Coordinator of the Research area at the Center for Research in Gender and Family (2015-2020). As a professor, she has taught PhD, Master’s, and Bachelor’s students at the University of Cabo Verde in the areas of environmental management and policies and social sciences including supervising theses, dissertations, and monographs in the referenced areas.

As a researcher, she works in the areas of Environment and Development (Rural), Climate Change, Governance in Protected Areas, States and Public Policies, and Gender, in which she has published in books and national and foreign scientific journals. She has collaborated in several consultancy studies and projects with national and international institutions, namely the FAO, World Bank, LUX-DEVLOPMENT, the Ministry of Health in Partnership with UNICEF, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, FAO, PUND, the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity, the National Water and Sanitation Agency, and the Rural Socioeconomic Opportunities Program (POSER). As a social activist, she is a founding member and vice-president of the Cabo Verdean Association for the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence. She is currently director of the Master’s Programs in Environmental Management and Policies and the PhD in Rural Economy Management for Smart Agriculture at Uni-CV and a team member of the project “Contested Values ​​and Sustainable Livelihoods of Artisanal Alcohol in Cabo Verde” with Kennesaw State University.

Artur Rocha 

Translator & Interpreter 

Born in Santa Maria, the first tourist spot of Cabo Verde, Artur couldn’t help getting influenced by the various foreign languages spoken there. Thus, as soon as he completed his high school studies, he started teaching English on Sal island and, at the same time, working as a tour guide for a local travel agents. Languages are his passion! 

“Working as an Interpreter for this project has been a great privilege and an interesting professional challenge for me given the  importance of grogue to Cabo Verdeans, not only as a rich cultural asset but also due to the economic impact it has in the local communities.”

Berenice Tavares 

Research Assistant

Berenice Tavares is the CEO of an English school in Praia as well as a writer of poetry and children’s stories. Bernice works in English language teaching, translation, and interpretation. In this research project, her role involves conducting public health surveys among grogue workers and community members and mapping the grogue production units on the islands.

Helder Tavares

Research Assistant, Cameraperson, Translator

With a degree in Language, Literature, and Culture from UniCV, Helder works as a professional translator and interpreter. In this team, he serves as a research assistant, interpreter, and cameraperson. “It is an honor to collaborate with specialists and contribute to the study of grogue, an emblematic product of Cabo Verde.” Helder hopes this research marks a new era in the production of high-quality grogue in his country.

Abby Stinson 

Web Designer, Undergraduate Student, University of Georgia

Abby Stinson is an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia majoring in anthropology with a concentration in sociocultural anthropology and a minor in global health. Her academic interests lie in the study of culture, health practices, and social well-being. Combined with her interests in UX design, she aims to bridge cultural divides and improve health outcomes through educating the public on important issues. Abby is a strong believer in the power of cultural understanding to create a more equitable and healthy world.