Education
19th and 20th century US History of Medicine and Public Health, Rural History or Rural Studies, History of Social Sciences
Professional Background
I am a historian of 19th- and 20th-century medicine, interested in the historical intersections of health, medicine, biology, social sciences, institutions, and public policy. Integrative approaches have been central to my education: I earned my B.A. from Hampshire College and my M.A. and Ph.D. in History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania (1997).
I am currently working on a book that addresses the significance of place and practice in American medicine by exploring the history of rural health and medical practice in the Upper Midwest, 1910-1955. In addition, I have done extensive research on the history of graduate medical education, public health, health policy, population studies and demography in the interwar period, and on the history of philanthropy. The University of Minnesota offers a wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly through the Institute for Advanced Study, which I directed from 2014 to 2022. I have been involved with initiatives around promoting a just and equitable academy, interprofessional, community-based education, incorporating diverse ways of knowing and Indigenous knowledge in the humanities, expanding career preparation and options for doctoral students, narrative medicine and medical humanities, and environment, community and health. I've had the pleasure of serving on MA and PhD committees in History, Writing Studies, English, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, and Anthropology.
