Women heroes of epidemics in focus in Sept. 17 MTSU videoconference

As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, an upcoming MTSU videoconference will examine the roles women have played in handling prior pandemics and epidemics.

Dr. Katie Foss

Katie Foss, a professor of media studies in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, will speak about “Forgotten Heroes: Women of Past Epidemics” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 via videoconference. The link can be found at https://www.mtsu.edu/womenstu/events.php.

Foss is the author of “Constructing the Outbreak: Epidemics and Collective Memory,” a book that reviews media coverage and transmission of information during various epidemics throughout history.

“Although nearly written out of historical narratives, women have played crucial roles in helping people through outbreaks and long-term impacts of disease,” Foss said.

“This presentation highlights the contributions of women across 200 years of epidemics — from the unnamed caregivers of the Free African Society in the 1793 yellow fever epidemic to the physical therapists that helped infantile paralysis survivors learn to walk again.”

Foss’s presentation is part of the Women’s and Gender Studies Research Series sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. For more information, contact the program office at 615-898-5931 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)