Medical Historical Library

The Medical Historical Library in the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University is pleased to announce its fourth annual fellowship for the study of medical photographic history, with the addition of a new postmortem and memorial collection.

The Stanley B. Burns M.D. Fellowship for the Study of Medical and Postmortem Photographic History supports the study of the history of medical and postmortem photography at Yale, maximizing the research potential of the Stanley B. Burns, MD, Historic Medical Photography Collection and the Stanley B. Burns, MD, collection of postmortem and memorial photography and ephemera. Dr. Burns donated his postmortem and memorial photography collection in 2025, which is now included under the parameters of the fellowship. We welcome applications from all interested researchers, regardless of their institutional association, race, cultural background, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. Applications from scholars utilizing traditional methods of archival and bibliographic research are encouraged as are applications from individuals who wish to pursue creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches to conducting research using the Stanley B. Burns, MD, Historic Medical Photography Collection; the Stanley B. Burns, MD, collection of postmortem and memorial photography and ephemera; and related visual collections at the Medical Historical Library.

In any given year the award is up to $2,000 for one week of research. Funds may be used for transportation, housing, food, and photographic reproductions. The award is currently limited to residents of the United States and Canada.

 The fellowship is a gift of Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist and Research Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, and Professor of Medical Humanities at New York University: Langone Health. He began collecting historic photography in 1975, and over time amassed over a million images that he curated in multiple books, articles, and exhibitions.

A complete fellowship application includes:

• A research proposal (1,200 words max) that outlines:
  • Significance of the proposed collections research to your larger project
  • Value of your project to your field 
  • Feasibility of completing the scope of research proposed within the fellowship period
    Please note: If you anticipate consulting other Medical Historical Library materials beyond the Burns collection, please indicate those clearly in your application. 
• Budget, including proposed dates for research trip
• Curriculum vitae
• Two letters of recommendation 

Deadline: April 26th, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST

The application cycle is open. Please submit your proposals through THIS LINK. If you have any questions, please email historical.library@yale.edu. Grant recipients will be notified by end of May.

Past Recipients

2025
– Peggy Bloomer: “From Silver Nitrate to Neural Networks: The Shifting Epistemology of Medical Images.”

2024
– Stéphan Ballard: “Operating Theater”

2023
– Amadeus Harte: “How Medical Images Produce Objectivity”