I'm an applied anthropologist (PhD) based in Portland. Through Mija Sanders Consulting, I help public agencies and nonprofits understand the people their programs are meant to serve. My services include focus groups and interviews, needs assessments and program evaluation, community engagement design, plain-language materials testing, and cross-cultural and trauma-informed staff training.

Much of my research has asked why people can't reach help that already exists for them. For a Fulbright-Hays study in Izmir, Turkey, I interviewed 100 Syrian refugees in Turkish and Arabic and followed how they looked for health care and aid. At Mercy Corps, I led a Photovoice study with 150 Syrian adolescents. As the sole researcher on an enterprise project at EPAM Systems, I showed leadership that a new system was costing employees about three minutes per task. I've also worked in human services, advocating for culturally diverse clients working their way through complex systems of care.

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If your team is pursuing a Metro, City of Portland, county, or state project and needs qualitative or engagement support, I'd be glad to talk.