Victoria A. Harden

Victoria A. Harden is an American historian specializing in the history of biomedical science. She served as the founding director of the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum from 1986 to 2006.

Early life and education

Harden was born in Texas and grew up in Oklahoma. She received her Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Oklahoma in 1966. She then went on to earn her Master's degree in American History from the same university in 1968. Harden completed her Ph.D. in the History of Science from the University of Oklahoma in 1973.

Career

In 1986, Harden was appointed as the founding director of the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum, a position she held until her retirement in 2006. During her tenure, she worked to preserve and interpret the history of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the world's foremost medical research centers.

Harden has written extensively on the history of biomedical science. Her publications include Inventing the NIH: Federal Biomedical Research Policy, 1887-1937 and AIDS at 30: A History. She has also contributed to numerous scholarly journals and has been a frequent speaker at national and international conferences.

Awards and honors

Harden has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the field of history of science. These include the American Association for the History of Medicine's William H. Welch Medal and the History of Science Society's Joseph H. Hazen Education Prize.

See also

• History of science
• National Institutes of Health
• American Association for the History of Medicine