Join us for a dissertation presentation by Krista Heybruck on Thursday, May 15, at 2:30 p.m.
The aim of this study was to broaden the existing narrative of public health in higher education by reinscribing women who worked at the community-level and attended the Meharry medical training programs of Central Tennessee College (Walden University, Meharry Medical College) between 1870 and 1920 when public health in the United States was beginning to professionalize.
Employing a feminist historiography, Krista Heybruck accessed the archives of Meharry Medical College, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and other primary source material. Her sample consisted of 67 Black women (1870–1920) and her findings indicate that these women were members of 53 networks that influenced formal or informal public health curricula via their actions in the community. The women approached the work from a place of altruism and collective agency. Their individual and group efforts served the public health needs of the Nashville community. A leadership framework emerged comprised of four elements—collective curriculum, social capital, strategic affiliations, and centerwomen. There is little to no representation within the foundational texts of the public health curriculum, nor is there mention of them in the description of the discipline and professionalization of the field. This research changes that.
Scan the QR code on the flyer to join the presentation.