History professor hosts podcast discussion for History of Medicine Week

Gwen Kay, professor of history and director of Oswego's Honors Program, recently played a key role in History of Medicine Week events by the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM) from Oct. 6 to 10.

A member of AAHM's Education and Outreach Committee, Kay served as the host/convenor of a discussion on “Federal Regulations: Progressive Era and Beyond” for the "Perspectives on Science” podcast.

Kay hosted an expert panel that included Arthur Daemmrich of Arizona State University, director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes; Todd Olszewski, associate professor and chair for department of health sciences at Providence College; and Lauren Thompson, assistant professor for the department of history and interdisciplinary studies at Kennesaw University.

"Topics discussed included using a crisis as leverage for regulation; the safety ensured by the FDA; how history offers perspectives about where we were/where we are vis a vis safe drugs/medical products available in U.S.; what historical actors and current policy makers should know and understand about our past and how it inflects and shapes our present," Kay explained.

The discussion focused on federal regulations, utilizing the expertise and historical knowledge of its participants. Thompson studies the Progressive Era, particularly the early work of children's and maternal health including 1920s/Sheppard-Towner (providing federally funded pre/post-natal care for a few years) and abortifacients (largely legal and non-regulated through mid-20th century). Olszewski covers mid/late 20th century developments, particularly with the National Institutes for Health and especially 1960s/Kefauver-Harris amendment. Daemmrich's research examines comparative drug regulations in Germany and the United States.

The week also features a variety of workshops for AAHM members and others to celebrate, appreciate and learn more about the importance of the history of medicine research, regulation and related topics.