Bourse de recherche Countway Library

2015-2016 Countway Fellowships


Call for applications

The Boston Medical Library in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine will offer annual fellowships to support research in the history of medicine. The mission of the Boston Medical Library (BML), incorporated in 1877, is “to be a Library for the dissemination of medical knowledge, the promotion of medical education and scholarship, and the preservation and celebration of medical history, and thereby to advance the quality of health and healthcare of the people.” Support for the fellowhip program is provided by the BML’s Abel Lawrence Peirson Fund.

The Countway Library, created in 1960 by the partnership of the BML and the Harvard Medical Library, houses the combined collections of its two partners and is one of the largest medical libraries in the United States. It serves Harvard’s academic needs and the constituency of the BML which includes the other three medical schools in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and practicing physicians. Its Center for the History of Medicine holds 250,000 books and journals published before 1920, and is strong in virtually every medical discipline. The Countway’s archives and manuscripts include the personal and professional papers of prominent American physicians, such as Grete Bibring, Maxwell Finland, Henry Beecher, Walter Bradford Cannon, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Collins Warren, Stanley Cobb, and Benjamin Waterhouse, many of whom were associated with Harvard Medical School. The printed, manuscript, and archival holdings are complemented by paintings, prints, photographs, and the collections of the Warren Anatomical Museum.

The Francis A. Countway Library Fellowships in the History of Medicine provide stipends of up to $5,000 to support travel, lodging, and incidental expenses for a flexible period between June 1, 2015, and May 31, 2016. Besides conducting research, the fellow will submit a report on the results of his/her residency and may be asked to present a seminar or lecture at the Countway Library. The fellowship proposal should demonstrate that the Countway Library has resources central to the research topic. Preference will be given to applicants who live beyond commuting distance of the Countway. The application, outlining the proposed project (proposal should not exceed five pages), length of residence, materials to be consulted, and a budget with specific information on travel, lodging, and research expenses, should be submitted, along with a curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation, by February 16, 2015.

Applications should be sent to: Countway Fellowships, Center for the History of Medicine, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115. Electronic submissions of applications and supporting materials and any questions may be directed to chm@hms.harvard.edu.

The fellowship appointments will be announced by in April, 2015.