Dan Fox Receives Award from the American Association for the History of Medicine

Dan Fox, president emeritus of the Milbank Memorial Fund, received the Genevieve Miller Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for the History of Medicine in early May.

The award is given annually to a member of the association who has retired from regular institutional affiliation or practice, with a distinguished record of support for the history of medicine over many years, and who has made continuing scholarly contributions of a distinguished nature. Fox received the honor in recognition of his distinguished career, his diverse contributions, and his impact both inside and outside the academy.

William Summers of Yale University presented the award, acknowledging that Fox’s career spans over half a century of scholarship, teaching, and public service—from his graduate work in intellectual history and public administration at Harvard to his long tenure with the Milbank Memorial Fund, through his current work as an author, editor, policy adviser, and mentor. Fox has published articles in the association’s own Bulletin, the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, and many other journals of policy, public health, law, and history, as well as authored and edited many books.

“Dan’s teaching at Harvard and elsewhere has extended his impact to students,” said Fund president Christopher Koller, “and his service in state and federal government and at the Fund has brought the history of medicine and public health to bear on important policy matters in the wider society.”

“The award is particularly gratifying,” Fox told the audience, “because…I have spent my career as both a scholar of history and adjacent disciplines and a participant in the politics of making and implementing health and related policy.”