Who Wins? Professional Identity and the American Association for the History of Medicine's Early Career Scholar Awards

The American Association for the History of Medicine endeavors to represent the entire field and all those interested in the subject. Over time, its core membership has shifted from mostly amateur clinician historians to professionals with a PhD, resulting in a corresponding change in content and culture. In an effort to foster interest among both younger clinicians and historians, the organization sponsors multiple essay contests. Tracking the number of winners who ultimately publish their essays, where such publications reside, from which institutions they herald, and how long they remain members reveals that medical students are by far the least likely to publish and almost never retain their membership. Graduate students in history and early career scholars are far more likely to publish their work and remain a part of the organization. This paper proposes several strategies to try to recruit and retain more amateur clinician-historians.