Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing Moves ...

Bates Center Co-Sponsors AAHN’s 25 th Annual Conference
From left to right, Wanda Hiestand, Arlene Keeling, Barbara Brodie,
center, Rosemary McCarthy. Photos by Felice Macera
More than 160 participants gathered
in Philadelphia on September 25-28,
2008, for the 25 th Annual Conference of
the American Association for the History
of Nursing (AAHN). The four-day
conference, planned and arranged by the
Barbara Bates Center for the Study of
the History of Nursing and co-sponsored
with the University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing, Philadelphia, was
filled with excellent scholarship, opportunities
for networking, time for business,
and just plain old fun.
The conference began with a stimulating
and informative pre-conference
entitled Crossing the Digital Divide
featuring speakers from the Center for
History and New Media at George Mason
University, Fairfax, VA. Attendees
learned about several new uses of digital
technology for historians and were
introduced to some of the tools now
used to carry out research. Participants,
impressed with the range of technology
available, enjoyed a hands-on session in
which they tried out several of the newer
electronic tools highlighted including
Zotero, an electronic internet based tool
that allows enables collecting, managing
and citing source material and Omeka,
a publishing platform for collecting and
creating on-line historical exhibits.
The following morning, despite
cloudy skies, many participants engaged
in a little sightseeing. The group enjoyed
an individual tour of Independence Hall
and visited a number of other historical
sites. That afternoon, the conference officially
opened at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing in Claire
M. Fagin Hall. AAHN President Arlene
Keeling and Local Arrangements Committee
Chair Patricia D’Antonio greeted
the group and introduced Dean Afaf Meleis,
via video, who welcomed the participants.
Dean Meleis noted the critical
importance of history to the profession
and wished all a good conference. The
opening ceremony featured the annual
awards presentation followed by the
keynote
address
delivered
by Dr.
Barbara
Brodie,
Professor
Emerita,
University
of
Virginia.
A plenary
session
of exceptional
historical
scholarship
was
next on the
agenda, setting a high scholastic tone
for the remainder of the conference. At
the end of the plenary session, conferees
shared a special champagne treat as Joan
Lynaugh offered a toast to the AAHN
members and the 2008 conference.
Participants then adjourned to the
opening reception in the Carol Ware
Gates Lobby which was filled with delicious
food and great company. The Bates
Center invited the attendees to visit the
recently renovated Bates Center facility
where Director Julie Fairman greeted
guests and introduced visitors to the
many wonderful features of the new
space. Also of interest to the AAHN
members were a series of displays focusing
on nursing history centers around the
world which were developed especially
for the conference by Barbara Mann
Wall and Janet Tomcavage and mounted
in the exhibit cases on the first floor of
Fagin Hall.
Saturday began as a day of scholarship
as participants enjoyed an array of
concurrent sessions filled with cuttingedge
research. The program included
two special sessions called “Lunch and
a Movie” in which scholars Anne Marie
Rafferty, David Cantor and Sonya
Grypma presented videos pertinent to
their areas of research. As always, the
doctoral student luncheon offered opportunities
for new researchers to meet and
discuss their work. Throughout the day,
attendees also had the opportunity to bid
on silent auction items, which, thanks to
Joan Lynaugh and Pat D’Antoino offer the champagne toast.