The William H. Welch Medal is awarded to one or more authors of a book (excluding edited volumes) of outstanding scholarly merit in the field of medical history published during the five calendar years preceding the award. Hence, books published during 2020–2024 inclusively will be eligible for the Medal to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the History of Medicine, in Buffalo, New York June 4-7, 2026. No author who has previously won the Welch Medal is eligible for the award. A complete list of previous winners is available here.

The award is named in honor of a major American figure in the history of medicine and public health, who was also one of the first faculty members at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The Medal was first presented in 1950 to Henry Sigerist. The chair of the 2025-2026 Welch Medal Committee Emily Baum welcomes suggestions of books to consider for the award. Publishers nominating a book must send a copy to each member of the committee. To nominate a book and to obtain mailing addresses of all committee members, contact: Emily Baum at [email protected].

Deadline for nominations: October 31, 2025

Previously nominated eligible books must be re-nominated; they will not be considered automatically.

Welch Medal Committee 2025-2026

Emily Baum, Chair
Elena Conis
Joel Howell
Elizabeth O’Brien
Pablo Gomez

Past Welch Medal Winners