Rate My Professor Michelle Grocke

Michelle Grocke is an Associate Professor and Department Head of Human Development and Community Health in the College of Education, Health and Human Development at Montana State University, where she also serves as Health and Wellness Specialist for MSU Extension. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of Montana in 2016 and a B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. As a medical anthropologist, Grocke's research focuses on health disparities, food security, subjective well-being, nutrition assessment, chronic disease prevention and management, stress, socio-economic determinants of health, and rural development. Her ethnographic fieldwork spans Nepal, the Philippines, Peru, and Montana, investigating diet transitions, malnutrition linked to infrastructure changes like road development, microlending impacts on nutrition, and social aspects of collegiate drinking via mobile technology.

Grocke's career at Montana State University progressed from Assistant Professor to her current leadership positions. She received the Excellence in Outreach Award at the 2023 Founders Day Faculty Awards and the MSU Extension Early Career Faculty Award. Her influential publications include "Perceived Stress, Stressors, and Preferred Stress Management Strategies Among Western Agricultural Producers" (Journal of Rural Mental Health, 2023), "Disparities in Dietary Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Food Security Status" (Preventive Medicine Reports, 2022), "Examining the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic Across Five U.S. States" (Preventive Medicine Reports, 2021), "After the Road Came: Insights Into the Nexus of Food Security and Malnutrition in Northwestern Nepal" (Mountain Research and Development, 2018), and "Agricultural Workers' Perspectives on Stressors, Stress Management Topics and Support Options: A Case Study from the Western U.S." (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2025). Through MSU Extension, she leads initiatives on chronic disease management, Montana Farm Stress Clearing House, Mental Wellness Conversation Curriculum, and vaccine outreach, fostering community health and resilience.