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COLLECTION Identifier: H MS c274

Elizabeth D. Hay papers

Overview

Elizabeth D. (Dexter) Hay (1927-2007), B.A., 1948, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; M.D., 1952, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland, was Chair of the Department of Anatomy (later the Department of Cell Biology) at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and the first woman to be made a full professor in a preclinical department at Harvard Medical School. The Hay papers reflect Hay’s work as a cell biologist and related professional activities, including attendance at conferences, manuscript preparation, laboratory research, teaching, and collaboration with other researchers. The papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, specimen and personal photographs, planners, notes, PowerPoint slide presentations, grant applications and reports, and reprints, among other materials.

Dates

  • Creation: 1922-2007 (inclusive),
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 1960-2005 .

Creator

Language of Materials

Papers are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Access requires advance notice. Records containing Harvard University records are restricted for 50 years from the date of creation. These restrictions are noted where they appear in Series I, Series II, and Series IV. Records containing personal information are restricted for 80 years from the date of creation. These restrictions are noted where they appear in Series I and Series II. Consult Public Services for further information.

Access to electronic records in this collection is premised on the availability of a computer station, requisite software, and/or the ability of Public Services staff to review and/or print out records of interest in advance of an on-site visit. Researchers should consult Public Services for further information. The papers are stored offsite. Researchers are advised to Consult Public Services for further information concerning retrieval of material.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in the collection. Researchers are responsible for identifying and contacting any third-party copyright holders for permission to reproduce or publish. For more information on the Center's use, publication, and reproduction policies, view our Reproductions and Use Policy.

Extent

14 cubic feet (12 records center cartons, 1 12 x 5.5 x 5.75 inches box, and 1 12.25 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches box)

The Elizabeth D. Hay papers are the product of Hay’s work as a cell biologist and related professional activities, including attendance at conferences, manuscript preparation, laboratory research, teaching, and collaboration with other researchers. The collection is divided into four series: I. Professional Records, 1922-2007; II. Personal Papers, 1960s-2006; III. Reprints, 1952-2005; and IV. Audio-Visual Materials, 1992-1998. Record types include correspondence, manuscripts, specimen and personal photographs, planners, notes, PowerPoint slide presentations, grant applications and reports, and reprints.

The papers reflect Hay’s involvement in the field of cell biology and embryology as a research scientist, including her work as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and her activities as a member of various professional organizations, such as the American Association of Anatomists, the National Academy of Sciences, the Society for Developmental Biology, and the American Society for Cell Biology. Hay was a frequent speaker at conferences and lectured as a guest faculty member at other educational institutions; her papers reflect invitations to speak at national and international conferences and medical schools. Hay kept extensive reference files of reprints, both her own and those authored by others in her field of interest. The papers also include a small amount of personal material reflecting Hay’s fondness for cats and interest in mycology.

Materials are entirely in English.

Biographical Notes

Elizabeth D. Hay (1927-2007), B.A., 1948, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; M.D., 1952, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland, was chair of the Department of Anatomy (later the Department of Cell Biology) at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and the first woman to be made a full professor in a preclinical department at Harvard Medical School.

Elizabeth Dexter Hay was born in St. Augustine, Florida in 1927. Her father was a military physician during World War II and, as a child, her family moved from Florida to Mississippi and, later, Kansas. In 1944, she entered Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1948. During her time at Smith, she took a biology course with S. Meryl Rose, one of her first scientific mentors, who advised her to attend medical school. She attended Johns Hopkins Medical School as one of four women in the class of 1952. After graduation, she interned at Johns Hopkins from 1952 to 1953. Hay took her first professional position at Johns Hopkins as an instructor and then Assistant Professor of Anatomy. In 1957, she left Johns Hopkins to take a position as the Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Cornell Medical College in New York City. In 1960, she left Cornell to move to Harvard Medical School, again as Assistant Professor of Anatomy. In 1964, Hay was named the Louise Foote Pfeiffer Associate Professor of Embryology. Hay was the Chair of the Department of Anatomy from 1975 to 1993. Hay remained at Harvard Medical School for the rest of her career, retiring as a Professor of Cell Biology in 2005.

Hay’s research focused on cell biology and was core to the discovery and development of work on the extracellular matrix during the 1970s. In her later work, she researched cell-matrix interactions in cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transformations in embryos and on palatal and corneal development in the chick embryo. She was a member of a number of professional societies including the American Association of Anatomists, the American Society for Cell Biology, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Society for Developmental Biology. She was the first woman to be president of the American Society of Cell Biology (1976-1977) and the Society for Developmental Biology (1973-1974). She was also elected President of the American Association of Anatomists (1981-1982). Hay received the E.B. Wilson Medal from the American Society for Cell Biology in 1988, the Henry Gray Award from the American Association of Anatomists in 1992, and the E.G. Conklin Award from the Society for Developmental Biology in 1997. In 1999, Harvard Medical School created a named fellowship in Hay’s honor.

Elizabeth D. Hay died in 2007 in Massachusetts.

Arrangement

Series employed by the processing archivist generally reflect the original arrangement of material as received from the donor.

Series and Subseries in the Collection

  1. I. Professional Records, 1922-2007
  2. ___ A. Correspondence, 1962-2007
  3. ___ B. Harvard Medical School Records, 1960-2005
  4. ___ C. Professional Activities Records, 1922-2006
  5. ___D. Electronic Records, 1989-2005
  6. ______ 1. 3.5" Floppy Disks, 1989-2000
  7. ______ 2. Zip Disks, 1998-2003
  8. ______ 3. Compact Discs, 1996-2005
  9. II. Personal Papers, 1960s-2006
  10. III. Reprints, 1952-2005
  11. IV. Audiovisual Materials, 1992-1998

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Elizabeth D. Hay papers were donated to the Harvard Medical Library by Elizabeth D. Hay in 2007 (Accession number 2007-093).

Related Collections in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Center for the History of Medicine

  1. Records of the Harvard Medical School Department of Anatomy, 1900-1955 (bulk). Series 00442.
  2. Course records of the Harvard Medical School Department of Anatomy, 1960. Series 00429.
  3. Anatomical teaching models consisting of: plaster models of four stages of embryo development (student sets) designed and used in teaching by Elizabeth D. Hay [20305-20320]; painted foam embryological models designed and used in teaching by Elizabeth D. Hay [20321-20325]; painted wood embryological models designed and used in teaching by Elizabeth D. Hay [20326-20330]; papier mache model of human placenta created by student of Elizabeth D. Hay [20331]; and students sets of embryological stereoviews derived from the Carnegie Foundation's “Horizon” report and used in teaching by Elizabeth D. Hay. [Warren Anatomical Museum Accession Number 2009.010]

Separated Material

  1. Insoluble Bone Gelatin.Warren Receiving Number 20494.
  2. Boyden, Edward Allen. Laboratory atlas of the 13-mm. pig embryo : prefaced by younger stages of the chick embryo. QL959 .B78 1933.

Processing Information

Processed by Hanna Clutterbuck, December 2011.

Processing staff in the Center for the History of Medicine refoldered, arranged, reboxed, and described the records and created a finding aid to improve access. Materials such as cancelled personal checks and postal instructions were removed and shredded. Folder titles were transcribed from the originals whenever possible. Files on 3.5 inch floppy disks, Zip disks, and compact discs (as found in Series I, Subseries D) were copied to secure storage. Files that could be opened were sampled for content, however, researchers should be aware that not every file in the collection could be opened and assessed. Regardless of copy status, all original media have been retained.

A sample of insoluble bone gelatin was removed and transferred to the Warren Anatomical Museum; researchers should request item number 20494. Anatomical teaching models were also removed to the Warren Museum; researchers should consult accession number 2009.10. A copy of Edward Allen Boyden's Laboratory atlas of the 13-mm. pig embryo : prefaced by younger stages of the chick embryo was removed to the rare books collection.

Title
Hay, Elizabeth D. Papers, 1922-2007 (inclusive), 1960-2005 (bulk) : Finding Aid
Author
Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Center for the History of Medicine.
Language of description
und
Sponsor
The Elizabeth D. Hay papers have been processed and made available by the Archives for Women in Medicine project with generous support from our donors.
EAD ID
med00155

Repository Details

Part of the Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine) Repository

The Center for the History of Medicine in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is one of the world's leading resources for the study of the history of health and medicine. Our mission is to enable the history of medicine and public health to inform healthcare, the health sciences, and the societies in which they are embedded.

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