Characterizing History of Health Sciences Organizations at Academic Health Sciences Centers

Abstract

Abstract Questions of how to sustain interest in the history of medicine and broader health sciences (HOM/HS) in a changing institutional environment, and how to collaborate with stakeholders to offer activities to do so, are on the radar for many academic health sciences centers and their libraries. This essay is an initial exploratory study of non-curricular HOM/HS efforts at United States medical schools ranked in the top thirty in primary care or research. In 2019, we collected public information pertinent to any presence of an on-campus HOM/HS community and the group’s structure, including funding, activities, and the library’s involvement with the group. Seventeen of forty-five institutions in the sample presented information about an institutional HOM/HS group. All posted a mission statement. Their funding varied in nature; some collected fees from members, while others relied on university support. Half were student-led. Most groups hosted regular lecture series, with fifteen groups hosting at least one annually. Six groups sponsored publications or awards. These findings indicate that several institutions with active programs offer potential models and lessons for sustaining HOM/HS communities. Beyond providing a physical or digital space in which HOM/HS groups connect, libraries play an active role in fostering some of these communities.