The Audrey and William H. Helfand Fellowship in the History of Medicine and Public Health
The Audrey and William H. Helfand Fellowship in the History of Medicine and Public Health supports research using Academy Library resources for scholarly study of the history of medicine and public health with an emphasis on visual culture. It is intended specifically for a scholar in residence at the Academy Library. Preference will be given to applications which focus on the use of visual materials held in the Academy collections and in other area institutions.
The Academy’s Library holds a particularly rich collection of images related to the history of medicine and public health dating from the early modern era into the twentieth century. A diverse collection, including illustrated books, prints, broadsides, pamphlets, and printed medical ephemera, documents changes in clinical medicine and research, the evolution of medical practice, the history of public health and public responses to these developments. The collections form an extraordinary primary resource for scholars in history, popular culture, the sciences and social sciences, the history of printing and the graphic arts.
The Helfand Fellow is expected to spend at least four weeks in New York City, working in The New York Academy of Medicine Library. Fellows are required to make a public presentation about their project at the Academy, to contribute a post for our blog, and to submit a final report on work done at the Academy Library by the end of the award period.
Eligibility Requirements
We invite applications from anyone, regardless of citizenship, academic discipline, or academic status. Preference will be given to (1) those whose research will take advantage of resources that are uniquely available at the Academy, (2) individuals in the early stages of their careers, and (3) applications which include an emphasis on the use of visual materials held within the Academy’s collections and elsewhere. Applicants should provide information in their proposals about the collection items they plan to use, either by including a bibliography of resources they intend to consult or discussing those items in detail in the context of the application essay.