Medical Historian

Medical historians conduct research, write scholarly articles, and analyze historical records, including newspapers, letters, medical records, government documents, hospital records, interview transcripts, and other documents providing insight into the past.

The following are typical duties of medical historians:

Research trends in specific fields, whether it’s political, cultural, or social
Analyze historical documents such as court records, newspapers, photos, pamphlets, medical records, and other sources
Conduct research and publish conclusions in scholarly journals and books
Examine historical documents to determine whether they’re authentic and important
Amass information to be published online, in reference books, and other reference materials
Research a particular time period or a nation’s history
Choose subjects to research or conduct research on topics provided by managers or clients
Edit scholarly journals or periodicals
Conduct research about famous individuals to write biographies
Conduct university research and teach at colleges, high schools, museums, and other educational institutions
Speak to historical associations, organizations, and other groups interested in learning more about a historian’s expertise
Provide consulting services to organizations or individuals interested in knowing more about a certain time period or the authenticity of a historical item
Conduct interviews to learn more about historical time periods, events, or individuals
Translate historical records written in foreign languages
Create exhibits at libraries, museums, historical sites, and schools
Participate in efforts to preserve historical sites and buildings
Catalog and file historical documents and coordinate efforts for large scale cataloging projects

Education and Training

It typically takes 4-5 years to earn a graduate degree in medical history after earning a bachelor’s degree. Medical historians with PhDs or doctors with supplementary historical training typically fill open medical historian positions. It’s not untypical for medical historians to have medical degrees. Medical historians have educational backgrounds in various fields.

Contact these organizations for additional details about medical historian careers:

American Historical Association
American Association for the History of Medicine
History of Science Society
Bulletin of the History of Medicine Scholarly Journal