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Margaret Ellen Humphreys

Josiah Charles Trent Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine, in the School of Medicine
History
Dept of History, Box 90719, Durham, NC 27708-0719
206 Classroom Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


History of American medicine and public health, history of tropical medicine, especially malaria and yellow fever, history of medicine in the American Civil War. History of racial disparities in health and health care in the US.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Josiah Charles Trent Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine, in the School of Medicine · 2009 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of History · 2005 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Medicine · 2020 - Present Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Medicine
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2016 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published March 30, 2020
Epidemics in History: Stories of Cataclysm and Astonishing Advances
Published November 11, 2016
Zika: What Can We Learn From Our Public Health History?
Published May 6, 2015
Humphreys Wins Rosen Prize

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Recent Publications


The origins and genomic diversity of American Civil War Era smallpox vaccine strains.

Journal Article Genome biology · July 2020 Vaccination has transformed public health, most notably including the eradication of smallpox. Despite its profound historical importance, little is known of the origins and diversity of the viruses used in smallpox vaccination. Prior to the twentieth cent ... Full text Cite

The influenza of 1918: Evolutionary perspectives in a historical context

Journal Article Evolution, Medicine and Public Health · January 1, 2018 The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest in known human history. It spread globally to the most isolated of human communities, causing clinical disease in a third of the world’s population, and infecting nearly every human alive at the time. Determina ... Full text Cite

17th Century Variola Virus Reveals the Recent History of Smallpox.

Journal Article Current biology : CB · December 2016 Smallpox holds a unique position in the history of medicine. It was the first disease for which a vaccine was developed and remains the only human disease eradicated by vaccination. Although there have been claims of smallpox in Egypt, India, and China dat ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Another March Madness: The American Cival War at 150

ConferencePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2011 - 2012

The Civil War and American Medicine

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2009 - 2010

Civil Rights and the Body in the American South: A History Conference

ConferencePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2007 - 2008

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Education, Training & Certifications


Harvard University · 1987 M.D.
Harvard University · 1983 Ph.D.