Elizabeth Fee

Elizabeth Fee

Name	Elizabeth Fee
Birth name
Birth date	December 11, 1946
Birth place	Northern Ireland
Death date	October 17, 2018
Death place	Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Alma mater
Occupation	Historian of Public Health
Years active
Organization
Known for	Contributions to the history of public health and medicine
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

Elizabeth Fee (December 11, 1946 – October 17, 2018) was a prominent historian of public health and medicine, known for her extensive work on the history of HIV/AIDS, the history of public health in the United States, and the history of sexuality and gender in medicine. Her scholarly contributions have been influential in shaping the field of medical history.

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth Fee was born in Northern Ireland and later moved to the United States. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Trinity College Dublin, where she developed an interest in the history of science and medicine. Fee went on to earn a Ph.D. in the history of science from Princeton University, where her dissertation focused on the history of public health.

Academic Career

Fee began her academic career as a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she taught courses on the history of public health and medicine. Her research interests included the social and cultural history of disease, the history of public health institutions, and the role of gender and sexuality in medical history.

Contributions to the History of HIV/AIDS

One of Fee's most significant contributions was her work on the history of HIV/AIDS. She co-edited several volumes on the subject, including AIDS: The Burdens of History and AIDS: The Making of a Chronic Disease. These works explored the social, political, and cultural dimensions of the AIDS epidemic, highlighting the impact of stigma and discrimination on public health responses.

Public Health and Social Justice

Fee was a strong advocate for social justice in public health. She emphasized the importance of understanding the historical context of health disparities and the role of social determinants in shaping health outcomes. Her work often highlighted the intersections of race, class, and gender in public health history.

Later Career and Legacy

In her later career, Fee served as the Chief of the History of Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), where she continued to promote the importance of historical perspectives in understanding contemporary health issues. She was instrumental in developing the NLM's historical collections and digital resources, making them accessible to a wider audience.

Fee's legacy is marked by her commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and her efforts to bridge the gap between historical research and public health practice. Her work continues to inspire historians, public health professionals, and advocates for health equity.

Selected Publications

• Fee, E., & Fox, D. M. (Eds.). (1988). AIDS: The Burdens of History. University of California Press.
• Fee, E., & Fox, D. M. (Eds.). (1992). AIDS: The Making of a Chronic Disease. University of California Press.
• Fee, E. (1997). Disease and Discovery: A History of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, 1916-1939. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Also see

• History of Public Health
• HIV/AIDS in the United States
• Social Determinants of Health
• National Library of Medicine