Finding Connections

Alexandra M. Lord is the chair of the Medicine and Science Division at the National Museum of American History. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, she was the branch chief for the National Historic Landmarks Program of the National Park Service, and before that she was a historian for the US Public Health Service. Before becoming a public historian, she was a tenure-track professor in the history of science and medicine at Montana State University and the State University of New York, New Paltz. She received her AB from Vassar College and her PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Lord was the recipient of the Shryock Medal from the American Association for the History of Medicine, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship for the history of medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.

In 2010, the British Medical Association awarded Lord’s book, Condom Nation: The US Government’s Sex Education Campaign from World War I to the Internet (Johns Hopkins University), its prize for the best popular book on medicine. She has published on British and American medical history in academic journals and since 2005, she has frequently written about the historical profession for The Chronicle of Higher Education. She has also spoken on historical topics in venues ranging from the History Channel to academic conferences, Ellis Island, and Planned Parenthood. An active public historian, Lord has written successful National Historic Landmark nominations, curated exhibits on the history of medicine, and worked with the Office of the Surgeon General to provide historical briefings.