Description:

The Master of Arts in Medical Humanities & Bioethics program presents

A Montgomery Lecture

with

Sarah B. Rodriguez, PhD
Lecturer, Medical Education, Feinberg School of Medicine
Faculty, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Graduate Program
Senior Lecturer, Global Health Studies, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences

Katherine Ann Lattal, MA
Special Collections Librarian
Northwestern University 
Feinberg School of Medicine
Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center

Seth Alexander Williams
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Class of 2020
MA student, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Graduate Program

Who was Daniel Hale Williams (and why is there a DHW Auditorium)?

Daniel Hale Williams was a Chicago surgeon who practiced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he is most known for an operation he performed on a patient’s heart in the early 1890s.

In this talk, Sarah Rodriguez will sketch out the life of Dr. Williams – his rise as a surgeon and recognition of his surgical as well as organizational capabilities – as well as place his practice and achievements within the context of his times – the rise of increasingly invasive surgery, the growth of hospitals, and the complexities of being one of only a few black male physicians in Chicago.

Katie Lattal will then share how the auditorium in McGaw Pavilion came to be named for Dr. Williams.

Seth Williams will discuss the surgery he is celebrated for performing – and consider the unexpected (but rather interesting) challenges of doing historical research.