Rare Book Room

The Rare Book Room houses the collection of the Worcester Medical Library (established 1798) of the Worcester District Medical Society, as well as volumes purchased or donated since the founding of UMMS. It contains books and journals dating from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. Use of Books from the Rare Book Room

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History of Medicine and Health Care Collection

This collection of work by modern historians documents the history of medicine and health care from ancient times to the present. The collection was founded in 2006 to support the historical mission of the Office of Medical History and Archives at UMMS. The volumes held by the collection will be augmented each year to keep up with the newest trends in historical research. The collection also contains biographies and autobiographies of men and women health care professionals.

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Women in Medicine Collection

This collection was founded in 2006 at the suggestion of the UMMS Women Faculty Committee in support of the professional development of women in medicine and health care. Its creation coincided with the opening at the Lamar Soutter Library of a traveling exhibition titled "Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians," co-sponsored by the National Library of Medicine and American Library Association.

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H. Brownell Wheeler, M.D. Papers, 1962-2007

Founding Chair of the Department of Surgery, H. Brownell (Brownie) Wheeler, M.D., F.A.C.S., was a central figure in the founding and solidifying of UMMS throughout its first three decades. As the earliest appointed faculty member, chosen directly by Lamar Soutter, founding dean, Dr. Wheeler has amassed a collection rich in documentary significance for the history of UMMS. A secondary subject area of importance in the Wheeler papers is the development of end-of-life, palliative care, and medical humanities activities in Massachusetts and at UMMS. Finally, as a leading vascular surgeon, Dr. Wheeler's papers document many aspects of the development of this area of critical interest for the history of surgery. Also of interest is an oral history interview. This collection is currently being processed.
Finding Aid (, 455 KB)

Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research

The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research, formerly the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, was founded in 1944. Established initially as an independent research institute by Clark University neurophysiologist Dr. Hudson Hoagland and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus, the nonprofit institute became best known for its work in discovering and developing "the Pill"-the world's first oral contraceptive. Building upon that work, birth control pill co-discoverer Dr. Min-Chueh Chang completed pioneering research on in vitro fertilization techniques at the Worcester Foundation.

The Foundation merged with the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1997. The Office of Medical History and Archives is pleased to hold in its collections a substantial body of materials generously donated by former WFBR staff and by the UMass Memorial Foundation/Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research. These items include scientific reports, annual reports, annual collections of scientists' publications, glass lecture slides, lecture notes, oral history interviews, and photographs. Other items, particularly of Gregory Pincus, are held by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC., and by Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.