The Future of the History of Medicine Conference

The Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine is hosting a three-day international conference on The Future of the History of Medicine from July 15-17, 2010. The scope, breadth, and viability of the field as a whole in the 21st Century will be discussed in Panel Sessions on The Neurological Turn, The Cultures of Food, The Place of Non-Humans in the Project of Medical Humanism, Asian Medicine, and Global Health. The list of speakers as well as the final program are available online.

As reported in several earlier posts, the Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine is slated for closure. An online petition to "Save History of Medicine at UCL" recently concluded with over 4,100 supporters. Details on the petition are being collated and a summary of the main points is being prepared for submission to both the Wellcome Trust and University College London.

Friends of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL

The Friends of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL (University College London) has recently established a new blog. The main topic for postings is the pending closure of the Centre, and several researchers, including the University of North Carolina's Dr. Michael McVaugh, have related their observations about its importance for the history of medicine as well as their concern for its future. The Friends blog also has a link to the online petition to Save History of Medicine at UCL, which now has over 3,400 signatures and is open for further supporters.

In addition, the Friends blog has links to articles about the closure: Wellcome Trust Is To Close Its Centre for History of Medicine (British Medical Journal, April 16, 2010) and Terminal Diagnosis for UCL's History of Medicine Centre (Times Higher Education, April 20, 2010). A summary history of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL is available online.

Previous related Carolina Curator postings include: Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine To Close (with Call for Papers for conference on The Future of Medical History) and Petition To Save the History of Medicine at University College London.

Petition To Save the History of Medicine at University College London

As noted in an earlier Carolina Curator blog posting, the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine is slated to be closed. Currently an online petition that bears over 1300 signatures calls upon both University College London and the Wellcome Trust to reconsider this decision. The petition, entitled "Save History of Medicine at UCL," reads:

On March 31st the Wellcome Trust and UCL announced the closure of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine. This decision came in the middle of negotiations concerning the normal quinquennial review of funding for the Centre. The proposal to close the Centre was made by a handful of persons within the Wellcome Trust without, as far as is known, the involvement of any historian of medicine. We call upon the Trust to reconsider its decision, reinstate the independent peer review process, and permit any subsequent Centre to remain within the Wellcome building. We call upon UCL to maintain the history of medicine as a visible entity within College serving both historians and medics.

To view signatories or to add one's own signature, click here. The online petition was created by Professor Vivian Nutton at UCL, and is hosted at PetitionOnline.com.

Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine To Close

The Future of Medical History

International Conference Announcement and Call for Papers

The Wellcome Trust and University College London have decided to close the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine and initiate a two year wind down, without a quinquennial peer review. This marks the end of the Centre, and its prior incarnation of the Academic Unit of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine.

The academic staff of the Centre will be hosting a three day international conference on the Future of Medical History, to take place on July 15-17, 2010 at Goodenough College in London. In keeping with the research of the Centre and former Institute, contributions will be welcome on all aspects of medical history. Papers will be limited to 20 minutes each.

Please send an abstract and contact details to Lauren Cracknell (l.cracknell@ucl.ac.uk) by June 1, 2010. Due to current circumstances, the Centre will not be able to cover the cost of travel or accommodation.

Further details will be available on the Centre website soon.