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When I began researching history of epidemiology 10 years ago, I couldn’t imagine I would finish during a pandemic.I uncovered how epidemiology began w/ doctors studying enslaved & colonized populations, soldiers & Muslim migrants.Thrilled to announce it’s available for pre-order
Yesterday was publication day for my new book, Medicine by the People: How Ordinary People Changed American Healthcare! If you are in the area, please join me at Brown University on Oct 28, at 4 for a conversation about the book, hosted by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.
Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
Today is book release day!!!
So thrilled that An Inconvenient Woman is finally out after years of research & writing.
Thanks to everyone who has ordered or told their library to order - I truly appreciate you!♥️♥️♥️
us.macmillan.com/books/97812…
Glad to see that Johanna’s remarkable life will be preserved for posterity in The New York Times. nytimes.com/2026/08/12/us/jo…
With so many despicable, deplorable people in politics, a glimmer of hope comes in a hilarious deployment of camp. Thank you, Dr. El-Sayed
My new essay in Literary Hub on the value—and the difficulty—of public history. lithub.com/on-the-public-his…
Hot take for July 4: Fireworks last 20 minutes. Historical myths last centuries.
As America celebrates 250 years, let’s spend as much time questioning our stories as celebrating them.
That’s why I published this book with @nhannahjones @agordonreed @RedPedGrl Marc Stein, Erika Lee, Rob Parkinson, Sandra Enriquez, Will Sturkey. amazon.com/dp/0820377120?lv=…
Thrilled to announce my book will be out in Oct with Norton! When politicians claim to speak for "the people" on health, history tells a different story: ordinary Americans — not demagogues — built this country's healthcare from the ground up. Pre-order link ⬇️ [link] Please share! amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/bo…
During Pride Month, I keep thinking about a question that shaped my research:
How did LGBTQ people find one another before social media?
The answer was often through community institutions they built themselves.
That’s the story I tell in Stand by Me. amazon.com/gp/aw/d/082035644…
HISTORIANS, Please share widely.I'm hosting an exciting Juneteenth event at the Library Company of Phila,June 16. "From Ledger to Genome: Data & the History of Black Life," exploring how Black lives have been recorded & recovered across time. Register here. support.librarycompany.org/.…
Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
Now available at Project MUSE: the June issue of "Civil War History," including contributions from Gwion Wyn Jones, Jim Downs, Scott Hancock, David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry:
muse.jhu.edu/issue/56800
We are living through an attack on science and public health, and the consequences are deadly. propublica.org/article/vitam…
Join us tomorrow May 13 at Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 82nd at 7pm
I’m honored to be joined by an extraordinary group of historians and public intellectuals: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Julian E. Zelizer, Catherine Clinton, and Joanne B. Freeman. stores.barnesandnoble.com/ev…
Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
Joining @HofstraU’s “How to ‘Public Humanities’” panel yesterday featuring @ruthbenghiat and @jimdowns1, hosted by @rkgar, the urgent need to bridge academia & civil society once again stood out to me, as it is already a commitment of mine.
Such a connection is no longer a luxury or an optional approach, especially in the face of the rise & spread of #authoritarianism, and, more importantly, how authoritarians diversify their discourses & policies in ways that dangerously normalize extremism globally.
Can’t wait to read Professor Ben-Ghiat’s upcoming book “Resisting Autocracy”, which feels especially needed right now after she laid out the unwritten handbook of authoritarians in her earlier book, “Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall.”
THIS IS AN AMAZING PROJECT. I am thrilled to be quoted in support of it. How One Man Is Preserving Queer History Marker By Marker. forbes.com/sites/rdaniel-fos…

















