He received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and master's and doctoral degrees in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Trained as both an archaeologist and biological and forensic anthropologist, Dr. Verano has excavated skeletal remains from sites in North, Central, and South America, as well as conducting research on museum collections in the U.S. and Latin America, and consulting on recent forensic cases in the United States, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru.

After earning his doctoral degree, Dr. Verano spent seven years at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, first as a postdoctoral fellow, then as an exhibit curator and physical anthropologist. While in Washington, he was a lecturer at the George Washington University, the American University, and the Catholic University of America, as well as serving as course organizer and lecturer for several ‘Smithsonian Campus on the Mall’ archaeology courses. Dr. Verano also has taught osteology and paleopathology courses in Mexico and Peru, where he has been a two-time Fulbright Lecturer.

Dr. Verano's research areas include the study of disease in ancient skeletal and mumified remains, ancient medical practices, and warfare, human sacrifice, and mortuary practices in the Pre-Columbian Americas. He has published more than 45 scholarly articles on these subjects, and is co-editor of “Disease and Demography in the Americas,” published by Smithsonian Institution Press.

Dr. Verano's work has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, New Scientist, Discover Magazine, and in the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including Secrets of the Moche, Pyramid of Doom, and A Hole in the Head (the Learning Channel), Headhunters of the Amazon and Blood and Treasure in Peru (A&E Ancient Mysteries series), The Ultimate Guide to Mummies (Discovery Channel), and on ABC News' 20/20.

• WARFARE, HUMAN SACRIFICE AND DEMOGRAPHIC COLLAPSE: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAYA
  A review of some of the current principal research questions and unresolved issues in Maya archaeology and physical anthropology.

• BONES, BODIES AND DISEASE - WHAT ANCIENT REMAINS CAN TELL US
  Human skeletal remains can reveal fascinating details about the health and physical characteristics of ancient peoples. This lecture will provide an illustrated guide to clues encoded in ancient bones and teeth.

• THE MAYA EXPERIENCE PART I AND PART II
  Roundtable discussions

• 'ONE-ON-ONE' WITH PASSENGERS