McGoogan’s first Davis lectureship to be held today

Gregory Anstead, Ph.D., M.D., associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, will deliver the first Davis Lecture today.

Lessons learned about disease from past scientists are still valuable to those who confront modern disease.

That’s the idea behind the new Richard B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine McGoogan Library History of Medicine Lectureship, which will be held today at 3 p.m. in the Sorrell Center, Room 4053.

Through a gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation, Dr. Davis and his wife, Jean, established the lectureship, which will bring national experts to UNMC to discuss the history of various scientific findings.

“In a society with dramatic and accelerating changes in technology, it is appropriate to have an appreciation of the challenges faced by physicians and scientists in the past who tried to cure disease and solve research challenges, often with very limited information,” Davis said. “This lectureship will present examples of significant discoveries, which preceded an expansion of knowledge, leading to new directions in medical practice and the treatment of disease.”

Dr. Davis has a long-standing interest in the history of medicine. Throughout his career, he published more than 90 articles on hematology, most recently on contributions to science throughout history.

The annual lectureship was set up to bring national experts to UNMC’s campus to discuss the history of various scientific findings and support the library’s special collections.

The inaugural speaker for the Davis Lecture will be Gregory Anstead, Ph.D., M.D., associate professor in the department of medicine, division of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The title of his lecture will be, “Syphilis: A 20th Century Social and Therapeutic History.”

The medical center community is invited to attend the lecture.