The Historical Implications of American Race and Medicine
19 February - 29 March 2024
Biography
Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD is University Professor of Medical Humanities at the George Washington University. She is the first woman and first African American to hold this prestigious faculty position. She is also Professor of Health Policy and American Studies and Professor of Medicine. In addition, she is Adjunct Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Dr. Gamble has frequently been a pioneer during her professional career. She was the first Black woman appointed, and later tenured, to the faculty of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. At Wisconsin she created the first course on the history of racism in American medicine and established one of the first academic centers to address racial and ethnic inequities in health and health care.
Throughout her career Dr. Gamble has worked to promote equity and justice in American medicine and public health. A physician, scholar, and activist, she is an internationally recognized expert on the history of race and American medicine, health equity, and bioethics. She is the author of several widely acclaimed publications on the history of race and racism in American medicine. Public service has also been a hallmark of Dr. Gamble’s career. She chaired the committee that took the lead role in the successful campaign to obtain the 1997 apology from President Clinton for the infamous United States Public Health Syphilis Study at Tuskegee. Dr. Gamble has been a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and the National Council on the Humanities.
A proud native of West Philadelphia, Dr. Gamble received her B.A. from Hampshire College and her MD and PhD in the history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in American medicine.
Visit Summary
Prof Vanessa Northington Gamble and Dr Stephen Mawdsley will collaborate on the establishment of new external partnerships and grant applications to strengthen the American Studies Research Group in the Faculty of Arts. Prof Gamble and Dr Mawdsley have compiled a list of relevant funding organizations, including the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) and the British Academy (BA), and will work together with colleagues in the research group to generate funding applications to enhance the speaker programme, increase networking opportunities for graduate students, and permit the holding of conferences. Prof Gamble and Dr Mawdsley will also draw on their professional networks to help the research group forge external partnerships with US, EU, and UK universities that have established American Studies programmes. This initiative will increase research and publishing opportunities for graduate students and staff, as well as enable further international impact and growth potential. Prof Gamble will continue to advise the research group after this collaborative project has ended and will contribute to future development opportunities.
Professor Gamble is hosted by Dr Stephen Mawdsley, Department of History.
Details of Professor Gamble's lectures and seminars are listed on our Events page. You can also contact Professor Gamble's host for further information.
