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04/30/2024
profile-icon Amanda Greenwood
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Throughout the month of April, Historical Collections invited the UVA community to visit the lobby of the Health Sciences Library to see our new exhibit: "'Cures of Yesterday': Treating Deafness Throughout History."

Inspired by Dr. Jai Virdi's book entitled Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History, this pop-up exhibit used medical artifacts and rare books from our collections. As we commemorated National Deaf History Month, we highlighted a variety of materials that aim to help researchers interpret and understand the history of deafness, hearing, and hearing aids. From conversation horns to transistor hearing aids, these materials tell a story of the evolution of hearing aid research, cures, and technology that honor the resilience of the Deaf community throughout history. You can scan the QR code in the image to browse more hearing aids in our medical artifacts collection or click here.

a picture of an exhibit case filled with hearing horns, electric hearing aids, and rare books about the history of deafness.

In the case, we displayed a mix of 19th and 20th century hearing aids in various formats.

 

On the left side of the case were two conversation trumpets from the 1800s, a hearing horn circa 1889-1924, and an ear trumpet from circa 1880/1910. To show the advancements in hearing aids, we also displayed an Acousticon Electric Hearing Apparatus circa 1905-1930, a Sonotone Hearing aid from the 1940s, and a Zenith Regent Hearing Aid from 1955. Many onlookers commented that the small, rectangular hearing aids resemble like the First Generation iPod and wondered if these inspired Apple. 

 

On the right side of the case, we placed some rare books from our collection that focus on hearing, ear trumpets, deafness, and the ear. In the upper left corner is a book entitled Practical Observations on Aural Surgery and the Nature and Treatment of Diseases of the Ear. Published in 1853 and written by Dr. William Robert Wilde, the book was important because it demonstrated that the middle ear is the site of origin of most ear diseases. He is remembered for his method of treating acute mastoiditis using "Wilde's incision," but most Irish literature enthusiasts know him to be the father of writer Oscar Wilde. 

Since we named the exhibit in honor of Dr. Jai Virdi's book entitled Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History, we decided to display a copy. Virdi's book can be found on the UVA Library catalog here.

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04/18/2024
profile-icon Amanda Greenwood
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Significant portions of the following blog consist of text from a corresponding exhibit originally curated by former Historical Collections staff.

The celebration of Women's History Month gives us another opportunity to showcase the extraordinary women of UVA Health in the past and present. 

The first woman to graduate from the School of Medicine was Sara Ruth Dean, Class of 1922. Dean had previously completed two years of medical courses at the University of Mississippi and was able to graduate after only two years of study at UVA. Dean is pictured here in the second row from the back.

old black, white and sepia tones image of men and 1 woman, Sara Ruth Dean, posing for a UVA school of medicine photograph.

Historical Collections has many items belonging to Captain Ruth Beery of the 8th Evacuation Hospital.

In 1925, Beery began her study of nursing at the University of Virginia. She received her diploma in 1928 and became the acting pediatric supervisor. While a graduate student in public health nursing at the University of Minnesota, she was asked to become the principal chief nurse of the World War II hospital sponsored by the University of Virginia. Before she could accept the offer, the Army had to grant her an age waiver as she was 41, one year older than the Army age limit for entering service. Commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, she was instrumental in recruiting nurses to serve and dedicated herself whole-heartedly to the task, appealing for help by personal interviews, letters, speeches, and radio. About 50 nurses were recruited and left Charlottesville for training. According to Byrd Leavell’s book on the 8th Evacuation Hospital, Beery was a “capable nurse and competent administrator” who “was unselfish; her concern was for the comfort of the sick and wounded, the duties and welfare of the nurses, and the reputation of the 8th Evacuation Hospital.” She served as chief of nurses for the duration of the war, obtained the rank of captain, and was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Check out this digital exhibit to learn more about Beery, read her correspondence, and view her uniforms: http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/8theva.../about_ruth_beery/

captain ruth beery olive green military uniform jacket and shirt. the jacket has various medals and pins Beery was awarded during her career.

 

Whenever given the opportunity, we love to share the inspiring story of Vivian Winona Pinn (1941- ), UVA School of Medicine, Class of 1967.

Dr. Vivian Pinn graduated from UVA as the only female and sole minority member of the School of Medicine’s Class of 1967. She began a distinguished career at Tufts Medical School and then moved to Howard University College of Medicine, where she became the first African American woman to chair a U.S. academic department of pathology. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health established a new Office of Research on Women’s Health and selected Pinn to serve as the unit’s first director. In this position, Pinn spent two decades advocating for the inclusion of women in research studies and promoting opportunities for women in scientific fields. Her numerous awards and accolades include her reception of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from the American Medical Women’s Association and election into the Institute of Medicine, both in 1995.

At UVA, Pinn received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 1992, and in 2005 became the first African American woman to give the University’s Commencement address. One of the four colleges of the UVA School of Medicine is named for Pinn, and in 2016, a central medical education and research building in the UVA Health System was rededicated in her honor.

black and white class photograph of Vivian Pinn

magazine spread photo of vivian pinn and uva luminary

 

Vivian Pinn and UVA President Teresa Sullivan at the Dedication of Pinn Hall, September 13, 2017

 

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04/17/2024
profile-icon Amanda Greenwood
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Significant portions of the following blog consist of text from a corresponding exhibit originally curated by former Historical Collections staff.

In honor of Black History Month, Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library highlighted Black experiences at UVA Health via an exhibit in the library lobby entitled "Celebrating Black Alumni."

 

The banners used images and text from our collections, as well as a video of an oral history interview. For the entire month, Historical Collections shared other oral history interviews of Black alumni at UVA Health on our social media outlets.

The first interview was with Dr. Anastasia Williams, conducted at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library on April 8, 2022. The interview was part of the Medical Alumni Stories Oral History Project, a joint effort of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library and the UVA Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation.

Anastasia Longchamps Bayardelle Williams was born in New York and attended Cornell University, graduating with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry in 1991. She moved to Charlottesville with her husband in 1993 so that they could attend medical and law school, respectively, at @UVA. Dr. Williams graduated from the UVA School of Medicine in 1998. After medical school she completed an internship in pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia (1998-1999) and a residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD (1999-2001). Dr. Williams worked as a pediatrician in northern Virginia for 20 years, founding Olde Towne Pediatrics in Manassas and Gainesville, VA, and serving as the Medical Director of Pediatrics for Novant Health UVA Health System. In this interview, Dr. Williams reflects on her time at UVA and her career.

You can watch the interview here: https://avalon.lib.virginia.edu/media_objects/t148fh47n

 Dr. Anastasia Williams sitting in front of a rare book shelf with white wood and black plastic crisscross covering.

After Dr. Williams's interview, we shared an interview with Dr. Edward T. Wood, conducted by Dr. David S. Wilkes via Zoom on September 23, 2021. 

Edward Thomas Wood was born in Lexington, VA, in 1932. He attended Armstrong High School in Richmond, VA, and was a pre-medical student at Dartmouth University, where he earned an A.B. in 1953. Dr. Wood and his classmate Dr. Edward Bertram Nash became the first two Black students to attend and graduate from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Matriculating in 1953, they graduated in the Class of 1957. After medical school, Dr. Wood completed several internships and residencies in New York. When he chose ophthalmology as a specialty, he opened his own practice in New York and spent the remainder of his career there. Learn more about Dr. Wood’s life and work in this oral history interview.

You can access the interview here: https://avalon.lib.virginia.edu/media_objects/37720c987

Dr. Edward T. Wood sitting in front of a cabinet. The walls, cabinet, and other furniture pieces are painted white. On the cabinet are some white candles.

 

The following post celebrating Black experiences at UVA Health included an oral history interview with Dr. Maurice Apprey, conducted on May 12, 2022. 

Maurice Apprey was born in Ghana, West Africa. He received a B.S. in Psychology, Philosophy, and Religion from the College of Emporia, Kansas, and graduated in 1974. Dr. Apprey was one of a small number of students who trained under Anna Freud at the Hampstead Clinic in London, from which he graduated in 1979. After studying phenomenological psychological research and hermeneutics with Amedeo Giorgi at the Saybrook Institute in San Franciso, CA, Dr. Apprey received a Ph.D. in Human Science Research. He later pursued a doctorate in Executive Management from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. 

In 1980, Dr. Apprey joined the faculty of the UVA School of Medicine in the department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. In 1982, he was appointed Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. His work with current and aspiring medical students continued for two and a half decades, and he was later appointed the Associate Dean of Diversity at the School of Medicine (in 1992) and the Associate Dean of Student Support (in 2003). During these years, Dr. Apprey was highly effective in increasing the number of students from under-represented backgrounds at medical school through initiatives like the Medical Academic Advancement Program (MAAP). He taught undergraduates, medical students, residents in psychiatry and psychology, and hospital chaplains, among others. In 2007, Dr. Apprey was invited to become Dean of the Office of African-American Affairs for the University of Virginia, a role in which he served until his retirement in 2022.

You can watch the oral history interview with Dr. Maurice Apprey here: https://avalon.lib.virginia.edu/media_objects/7s75dc63v 

Image of Dr. Maurice Apprey gesturing and smiling during an interview. He is sitting in a room with white walls, with a Tiffany stained glass lamp on the table to his right.
 

Lastly, we found it essential to share our Black Experiences at UVA Health Resource Guide. This guide offers a list of Black pioneers in the history of UVA Health.

To learn more about Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library and resources that chronicle Black experiences at UVA Health, visit our website where you can access research guides, digital exhibitions, oral history interviews, and historic photographs: https://guides.hsl.virginia.edu/c.php?g=1197221&p=8856954
 

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