In our newest series, Getting to Know the Center, we will be highlighting some of the incredible people, projects, and resources in Countway's Center for the History of Medicine.
This month, meet the Center's creative archivist for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Heather Mumford, MLIS!
Heather Mumford isn’t afraid of dusty, dark spaces. “I’m grateful for pack rats!” she often expresses, because (…and with sincere apologies for the number of rodent metaphors) folks who squirrel things away are often key to unlocking untold historical narratives.
When Heather first began her position as the Archivist for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2014, public health collections at the Center for the History of Medicine were grossly underrepresented compared to those from the Harvard Medical School. The earliest documents relating to the founding of the school were present; however, no primary source material existed for the school beyond the 1950s, and what was present in the archives consisted of a small sampling of work from a select group of departments and individuals.
Heather hit the ground running. The school was only 100 years old, which meant that critical documents were likely extant – just hidden. “I began by meeting with emeritus faculty, staff members with long histories at the school, and families of deceased faculty. I’d come to their homes or offices, and we’d open drawers together to see if there was anything historically significant to be found.” Her fearless curiosity has brought her everywhere from the lofts of ancient backyard barns to modern office complexes to former canning factories and even underground steam tunnels.
More impressive: the results of her work have led to more than doubling the number of public health collections available for historical research. There is now historical representation for the work of every department at the school, including representation of BIPOC and female faculty. Scholarship in public health history has experienced a six-fold increase. Yearbooks, course catalogs, photographs, and other critical records have been digitized and made accessible online. Departmental name changes and chairs have been researched and their histories were made accessible. The Art and Artifact collection at the Center for the History of Medicine now includes representation of critical public health achievements, including oral rehydration therapy and the first respirator designed to protect firefighters. An exhibit on the history of anti-nuclear physician activism, based in large part on the efforts of multiple Harvard Chan faculty and which Heather co-curated with Harvard graduate Katie Blanton, is currently on display on multiple floors of the Countway Library.
Despite all that has been achieved since her role began, some histories remain elusive. In particular, Heather continues to seek out primary source materials and stories from students, campus activism, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized communities on campus. Such histories may not exist in the traditional formats, or have become increasingly vulnerable in a now entirely born-digital world. “I’m always eager to talk with the Harvard Chan community about the work they are doing, and to understand which lesser-known narratives need to be brought forward. There are so many different ways we can do this; the key is collaboration.”