The Center for the History of Medicine is now part of a larger unit, the U-M Center for Center for History, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in Medicine (CHHASSM).  CHHASSM is pleased to announce its inaugural public-facing event on Tuesday March 18th, 5:30-7pm in Kahn Auditorium, BSRB, with a reception to follow.

The event – “Mothers of Gynecology – An Evening with Artist Michelle Browder and Friends” – is organized around the upcoming loan of a Robert Thom painting from Michigan Medicine’s collection to artist Michelle Browder. The painting depicts surgeon J. Marion Sims (generally lionized as the “father of modern gynecology”) and three of the enslaved Black women on whom he experimented in his effort to treat vesicovaginal fistula. Browder founded a museum honoring the women depicted in the painting. Her art reimagined the painting by centering the women who made modern gynecology possible – the “mothers of gynecology” – and has spurred needed conversations about the history of gynecology and medical racism.  In addition to Ms. Browder, Drs. Aletha Maybank and Veronica Pimentel will speak, as will descendants of one of the women depicted in the painting.

The event will mark the occasion of this painting getting a fitting home, consider Michigan Medicine’s dilemmas over whether/how to display it, and examine the history of gynecology and medicine more broadly.

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a powerful program. Seating is limited, so please register here.You can also register for a live-stream option at the same link.

Many thanks to our event co-sponsors: the U-M Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the U-M Department of Urology, the U-M Department of American Culture, the U-M Department of History, the U-M Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the U-M Gift of Arts Program; U-M Museum of Art, the U-M Arts Initiative Program, the U-M School of Public Health DEI Office, the U-M Stamps School of Art and Design, and the U-M Institute for Research on Women and Gender.