McGill Social Studies of Medicine

06/01/2026

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French version

05/20/2026

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University invites internal applications from ranked academic staff with current appointments at McGill University for the position of Chair, Department of Social Studies of Medicine. Established in 1966, the Department of Social Studies of Medicine is a multidisciplinary department with faculty members specializing in anthropology, architecture, art history, history, and philosophy, who investigate topics in medicine, biomedical research, public health, and health policy. It has a strong tradition of excellence in research and teaching and maintains significant links with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Engineering.

Department members contribute to teaching in multiple graduate programs as well as in undergraduate
medicine. The Department is currently comprised of seven full-time members, five emeritus professors, and 15 associate members. The Department and its members are supported by four endowed chairs.

The successful candidate is expected to:
- Have a ranked academic position at McGill University;
- Have an internationally recognized research program;
- Have an engaging vision for the Department that builds upon existing areas of strength and collaboration
and expands to connect with new academic programs, research domains and strategic initiatives within
the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and across the University;
- Have the drive and leadership skills to realize that vision;
- Provide strategic guidance and support to the Osler Library and the Maude Abbott Medical Museum;
- Promote a collaborative and inclusive environment conducive to research and teaching excellence;
- Provide leadership in the recruitment, development, and mentoring of diverse faculty to achieve their full potential;
- Fluency in English is essential; a proficiency in French, or a commitment to acquiring it within a few years of appointment is preferred.

The Department is proud to host a respectful, multi-disciplinary and inclusive work setting in its multiple areas of activity, which includes the training of a diverse group of students. A record of experience applying equity, diversity and inclusion competencies will be considered an asset.

Term
The chair position is for a five-year term, starting September 1, 2026, which can be renewed once following a successful review.

Application Process
Please submit the required documentation by email to [email protected] no later than June 20, 2026.

05/14/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our colleague Prof Mary Hunter has been named Cotton-Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine 🪑🎉🏆

Mary Hunter was named Cotton-Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at McGill University in 2025. She is jointly appointed as Associate Professor in the Social Studies of Medicine Department in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and in the Department of Art History and Communication Studie...

05/13/2026

Thanks to our speakers, from near and far, and all who came out today to mark the retirement of medical historian Prof George Weisz from a spectacular 48-year career in our department. The talks were outstanding and the tributes heartfelt.

Raul Necochea (Chapel Hill): A Nearly Disavowed Oral History Adventure with Medical Students

Clare Herrick (King’s College London): The slack in the system: The American healthcare crisis, manpower planning and physician productivity 1950-1980

Shelley McKellar (Western University): The Material Culture of Surgery: ‘Cutting’ Instruments as Expressions of Surgical Values and Competencies

Here are some of our favourite pics.

05/01/2026

Congratulations to McGill University PhD student Fiona Kenney on this honour. Fiona is affiliated with our department through her supervisor Annmarie Adams and is a former winner of our annual Margaret Lock Prize.

We'd like to welcome the 2026 Margaret Angus Research Fellow, Fiona L. Kenney, to the Museum. Fiona L. Kenney is a PhD candidate at the McGill University School of Architecture interested in the intersections between architecture, care, and ethics. She holds an MDes in History and Philosophy of Design from the Harvard GSD. Her doctoral work is supported by AMS Healthcare. ⁠
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This project examines how children’s media shaped understandings of hospital space through simplified and participatory representations of care. Centered on medical colouring books and toys, it investigates how healthcare environments were translated into legible, structured scenes that children were invited to engage with through play. By analyzing the way that these objects represent medical space, the project explores how children were taught to navigate, interpret, and inhabit architectures of care.⁠
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The 2026 Margaret Angus Research Fellowship was generously sponsored by Ian M. Fraser and Janine M. Schweitzer.

04/23/2026

Spring has sprung at 3647 Peel 🪻

04/23/2026

Thanks to all who came out today for our workshop on "Writing on Medicine in Climates of Controversy"

The workshop combined a plenary lecture on Medical Assistance in Dying by Daniel Weinstock with a session, moderated by Vanessa Rampton, featuring three SSoM scholars — Phoebe Friesen, Sahar Sadjadi, and Andrea Tone — who recounted their experiences navigating the controversies their work has evoked.

Here are some of our favourite photos (by Annmarie Adams)