Description
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the history of medicine, health care, and public health using sources such as hospital and clinic records, medical journals, case reports, public health data, oral histories, images, instruments, pharmaceutical and device archives, and digital media, while adhering to privacy and ethical standards.
- • Organize medical-historical data; assess provenance, authenticity, and significance.
- • Gather data from hospital and public health archives, medical charts, journals, pharmaceutical and device records, news, diaries, and images.
- • Trace the historical development of medical practices, technologies, health policies, and public health interventions.
- • Research to identify, document, and conserve medical artifacts, instruments, laboratories, clinics, and historic health sites.
- • Teach and conduct research in universities, medical schools, museums, libraries, and research centers.
- • Publish and present research on the history of medicine and health.
- • Give talks to medical associations, patient groups, and the public to advance understanding of medical history.
- • Prepare or review exhibits, curricula, and publications for medical-historical accuracy.
- • Study medical history of specific regions, institutions, specialties, diseases, or time periods.
- • Present histories through the experiences of patients, clinicians, communities, and demographic groups.
- • Select research topics or pursue priorities set by museums, health systems, or sponsors.
- • Organize and curate digital collections, databases, and online exhibits for dissemination.
- • Develop manuscripts and interpretive materials for medical museums, archives, libraries, and public programs.
- • Advise clinicians, institutions, and media on historical authenticity of medical practices, terminology, and material culture.
- • Translate or commission translation of historical medical texts and records.
- • Compile biographical profiles of physicians, researchers, nurses, patients, and public health leaders.
- • Conduct oral histories with clinicians, patients, caregivers, and public health officials.
- • Recommend acquisition, accession, or display of medical artifacts, instruments, images, and records.
- • Coordinate cataloging, metadata, and preservation workflows for medical history collections.
- • Edit journals, newsletters, or websites focused on medical history.
- • Conserve and preserve medical manuscripts, case records, instruments, images, and digital media.
- • Ensure compliance with privacy and research ethics, including de-identification of health data and required approvals.
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Healthcare & Human Services
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
