We're really excited to present the first edition of a monthly feature we've been working on, where we will pick the brains of our brilliant faculty, and bring you their stories. History presents a lot of exciting opportunities to explore, but sometimes that prospect can seem daunting. Hear from people who were once in your shoes!
It’s often easy to wonder who professors truly are. Behind the tweed jacket and hipster glasses, is there a past that reminds us a little too much of our present circumstances? In this first installment of the “Interviews with Profs” series, I explore the origin story of Dr. Jenna Healey, our newest Hannah Chair here at Queen’s. Dr. Healey, though new to the university, seems to fit right in as a Gael. Though not a Queen’s alumnus herself, Healey has attended other Ontario universities. Given her early interest in both the Humanities and the Sciences, Healey was drawn to the University of Guelph after hearing of its Bachelor of Arts and Sciences program. Originally gearing her focus toward English and Biology, Healey’s early aspirations included a career in science journalism. As part of the program, Healey found herself in a history of medicine course. Healey found that she “really loved it [the course]”, a field she now sits at the forefront of. In her first summer Healey set her sights on a position as a research assistant in the English department. As Healey puts it, “nobody in the English department wanted to hire me!”. Lacking sufficient science courses to secure a lab position, our new professor found herself in a bit of a bind. After much searching, Healey found herself working as a research assistant to a professor looking to document the history of Guelph’s prestigious Veterinary College—an opportunity which she deemed to be “a perfect fit”. After graduating with her undergraduate degree in 2009 –“a very tough time to be graduating”-- Healey decided to continue her education as a master’s student. Healey attended the University of Toronto’s acclaimed Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, before continuing on to Yale University for her Ph.D. Looking back on it, Healey believes that studying the history of medicine “ended up being the best way to combine those two interests that I’d always had”. It can be tough as an undergraduate history student to isolate a particular aspect of the field as something that excites and interests them, a feeling that Professor Healey can wholly sympathize with. When asked if she had any advice for history students with niche interests, Healey’s answer was simple; “make your own path”. It’s often about finding the place in which that sub-field is growing –and it’s not necessarily at a school you might expect”. Healey also suggested classes, literature, summer research, and internships as possible avenues for finding that passion. Now returning to what Dr. Healey calls her “dream job”, History students can look forward to her classes on the history of medicine finding their way into our course listings in the next couple of years. Potential upper-year seminar topics include the History of Human Experiment, and the History of Gender and Medicine. There’s a lot out there for history students to consider in terms of options after undergrad, and hopefully stories like Dr. Healey’s open eyes to some of the more unorthodox ways history lends itself to interests that may not seem obvious at first.
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