A row of Transgender Pride Flags. (Photo/Flickr-Ted Eytan CC BY-SA 2.0)
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility! To honor International Transgender Day of Visibility, consider reading more about trans issues within healthcare. Here are some great options from Himmelfarb’s collection:
A History of Transgender Medicine in the United States: From Margins to Mainstream: New book! This book examines the development of transgender medicine across three centuries while centering the voices of transgender individuals, debunking myths about gender-affirming care, and examining the complexities of this evolving field. This book can be found on Himmelfarb’s New Book display on the first floor near the circulation desk and in the stacks on the basement level. Call Number: RA564.9 .T73 H578 2025
Care Without Pathology: How Trans-Health Activists are Changing Medicine: This book examines how trans-health activists have taken on the project of depathologization with far-reaching effects on the economic and racial barriers to accessing care. Click the link above to read an e-book version of this title.
Trans Health: International Perspectives on Care for Trans Communities: This anthology, with most contributions written from lived trans and gender diverse perspectives, provides insights into the experiences of the trans and gender diverse community when seeking healthcare and how self-organized community structures can help to overcome barriers to often inaccessible public healthcare systems. Click the link above to read an e-book version of this title.
Trans Medicine: The Emergence and Practice of Treating Gender: This examination of the history of trans medicine and current-day practice offers an opportunity to understand how providers make decisions while facing challenges to their expertise and, in the process, have acquired authority not only over clinical outcomes but over gender itself. Click the link above to read the e-book version of this title, or request a print copy through the Consortium Loan Service.
You may have seen Himmelfarb’s oculus headset on display but – unfortunately – never got a chance to try it out.
Overcoming the initial learning curve for any technology can be intimidating, especially for something that requires space and setup like a VR headset.
When: the fourth Wednesday of each month Time: 1:00 pm Where: Himmelfarb 1st Floor Alcove (near Circulation Desk)
If you’re a visual learner, Himmelfarb’s medical imaging apps, like the Medical Holodeck, could help you study bodily systems by seeing how complex systems, like the vascular system, wrap around organs in an interactable 3D environment. And next to actually working in a cadaver lab, Dissection Master XR provides an unparalleled way to study the human body across 2000 unique models for any student of anatomy.
If you’d like to learn more about our VR apps, you can check out our VR Headsets Research Guide in preparation or watch this video explanation:
But why read about VR when you can experience it?
Join us this Wednesday – or on the 4th Wednesday of every month – to try it out!
In honor of Women's History Month, we're taking a look back at a post originally published in March 2023 focusing on women's history in DC. This post was written by Brittany Smith, Himmelfarb's Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian.
Washington D.C. has been home to many influential and powerful women. Whether they were born in the city or moved to the capital during the course of their lives, many women who helped shape the country lived in and formed communities in D.C. The stories of the following three women provide a glimpse into the ways in which women contributed to the well-being of the city and the broader country!
Charlotte Dupuy:
Born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Rachel and George Stanley, Charlotte Dupuy (nee Stanley) was an enslaved woman who petitioned the U.S. Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for her freedom. When Charlotte was a child, she, her mother and two siblings were enslaved to Daniel Parker of Dorchester County, Maryland. While Charlotte’s father was able to eventually secure freedom for his wife and two children, for unknown reasons, Charlotte was still enslaved to the Parker household. At the age of nine, Charlotte was then sold to James Condon, a local tradesman. While working for this new household, Charlotte maintained contact with her own family, but several years later, Condon moved his family from Maryland to Lexington, Kentucky, separating Charlotte from her relatives.
While living in Lexington, Charlotte eventually met and married Aaron Dupuy, an enslaved man who worked at Ashland, the estate for Whig politician Henry Clay. After Charlotte and Aaron’s marriage, Henry Clay purchased Charlotte and she worked as a domestic servant for the Clay estate. Clay was a politician, serving in the House of Representatives in 1810 before becoming the Speaker of the House in 1817 or 1818. Clay moved his household, including Charlotte, Aaron Dupuy and their two children, to Washington D.C. When Henry Clay was appointed to the Secretary of State for the Adams administration, he once again moved his family, this time settling in the house across from the White House, now known as the Decatur House. While living in Washington D.C., Charlotte Dupuy was able to frequently visit her extended family and when Henry Clay sought to return to Kentucky years later, Charlotte resisted. A local lawyer filed a petition on Charlotte’s behalf as she attempted to seek her freedom through legal action. Charlotte Dupuy was one of many enslaved people who petitioned the courts and attempted to use legal precedents to gain their freedom. In Charlotte’s case, she argued that because her grandmother and mother were both free women, this entitled Charlotte to her freedom as well.
The Decatur House located at the corner of H Street NW and Jackson Place. Photo Credit: National Park Service
Unfortunately, the Circuit Court ruled against Charlotte, and while she resisted returning to Henry Clay’s estate, she eventually was transported to New Orleans, where she worked for Clay’s daughter. Charlotte Dupuy and her daughter gained their freedom in 1840, and while records are sparse, it seems likely that she continued to live in Kentucky to remain close to her husband and other children. Charlotte Dupuy’s story is a reminder of the ways in which enslaved people actively resisted their enslavement, and her story is still told to modern-day visitors of the Decatur House.
This week the cherry blossom trees located on the Tidal Basin and around D.C. are predicted to hit peak bloom. There are countless people to thank for bringing cherry blossoms to Washington D.C. and one figure who was most influential in the beautification process was Eliza Scidmore!
Born in Iowa in 1856, Eliza Scidmore was an explorer, writer and editor who traveled through the Alaska Inside Passage and published the first Alaska travel guide which sparked tourism in the state. Scidmore also was a member of the National Geographic Society and sat on their Board of Managers. While she is remembered for her travel writing, one of her most lasting impacts is felt every spring when the cherry blossoms bloom.
During a visit to Japan, Scidmore was deeply impressed with the Japanese cherry trees and their flowers. When she returned to the United States, she immediately began to work to bring the trees to the States in an effort to beautify the Capital. Her efforts were initially rebuffed by the Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds. But this did not stop Scidmore. She eventually met and partnered with Department of Agriculture Plant Explorer David Fairchild, who was actively engaged in his own work with cherry blossoms. Scidmore also wrote a letter to First Lady Helen Taft, who was also keen to improve the city. Scidmore’s original idea was to raise money to purchase a hundred trees each year for several years. But a Japanese chemist, Dr. Jokich Takamine, heard about Scidmore’s letter to First Lady Taft, and this spiraled into multiple political and influential leaders working together to bring cherry blossom trees to the United States.
The Japanese government first donated a shipment of about 2,000 trees, but unfortunately, the trees were diseased and contained bugs that American scientists feared would be harmful to native plants. The first shipment of trees was burned as a result. The Japanese government then sent another shipment of 3,020 trees, and once they were approved by scientists, the trees were planted around the Tidal Basin and throughout the city. Today, less than one hundred of these original trees are still on display. But the annual blooming of the cherry blossoms serves as a reminder of Eliza Scidmore’s dedication to beautifying Washington, D.C.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary:
Photograph of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Photo via National Park Service and courtesy of National Archives of Canada
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a major figure in the women’s suffrage movement and spent years fighting for the expansion of voting rights.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was born in 1823 in Delaware to a family who actively participated in the Underground Railroad and assisted people who sought to claim their freedom. After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, Mary Ann Shadd Cary and her family moved to Ontario, Canada. While living abroad, Cary opened her own schoolhouse, where she taught both white and black children. She eventually married Thomas J. Cary, and together, they had two children.
When the American Civil War began in 1861, Cary returned to the United States and assisted the war effort by recruiting soldiers to join the Union Army. When the war ended, she moved to Washington D.C. and enrolled in Howard University’s first law school cohort. She was politically active at this time; she wrote articles for the African-American newspaper, The New National Era and encouraged Black Americans to work together to recover after the end of slavery.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was passionate about voting rights. During the congressional committee meetings about the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Constitutional Amendments, Cary spoke before the House Judiciary Committee and encouraged congressional leaders to ratify the amendments. She was critical of the fact that the Fifteenth Amendment didn’t also extend voting rights to women, but she argued that voting rights should be granted to African-American men. Cary was a member of the National Woman Suffrage Association and continued to fight for the right for women to vote, hoping to one day see voting rights be given to women.
She lived in a brick row home located on W Street Northwest. The home is now a historic landmark, though it is not currently open to the public. A plaque outside the home shares a more detailed history about Mary Ann Shadd Cary and her efforts to uplift people within her community.
The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum:
Charlotte Dupuy, Eliza Scidmore, and Mary Ann Shadd Cary are just a few of the many women who lived in and left their mark on Washington, D.C. Landmark plagues and historical sites share stories of other women such as suffragist Lucy Burns, entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, educator Mary McLeod Bethune, and more. In a few years, Washington, D.C. will also be home to the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum!
“With a digital-first mission and focus, the Smithsonian amplifies a diversity of women’s voices in a new museum and through the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, cultural heritage affiliates, and anywhere people are online” (About, n.d., para. 2).
While the physical building is not projected to open until the 2030s or later, visitors can explore their digital exhibits, collections, and collection items, such as ‘In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I, ’ ‘Women of Public Health,’ and ‘American Women Athletes,’ The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum will be an essential resource for people interested in learning more about American Women’s History and the contributions women made to the United States.
There is a long history of women investing time and energy into improving Washington, D.C., and the United States as a whole. If there is a local figure you’d like to highlight during Women’s History Month, we’d love to read about it in the comments!
Calling all artists! Do you have a painting, print, or photograph that you'd like to share? How about some needlework, pottery, or hand-made jewelry?
Himmelfarb Library is excited to announce its 2025 Annual Art Show, which will run from Tuesday, April 22nd, through Thursday, May 15th. This event, now in its 37th year, is open to all students, faculty, and staff from SMHS, GWSPH, and GW Nursing. Join us for an opening reception in the library on Tuesday, April 22nd, with a reception on the first floor of Himmelfarb Library from 4pm to 5:30pm. Refreshments will be provided!
Key Dates:
Submission Deadline: Friday, April 18, 2025
Opening Reception: Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 4-5:30 pm
Art Show Dates: April 22, 2025 - May 15, 2025
We are accepting submissions through Friday, April 18th. Please drop off your artwork at the first floor Circulation Desk. Digital copies of your work can be included in our Virtual Art Show by sending the file(s) to himmelfarb@gwu.edu and filling out the online form. You can submit exclusively to the Virtual Art Show if you prefer.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact us by email at himmelfarb@gwu.edu or by phone at (202) 994-2962.
If you need some inspiration, enjoy these submissions from last year!
2024 Himmelfarb Art Show2024 Himmelfarb Art Show2024 Himmelfarb Art Show
Brighter and warmer spring days are here! Head outdoors to admire the beautiful spring flowers, cherry blossoms, and other spring blooms around you. Whether you’re located in the DC area or elsewhere, capture those amazing photos and enter your best shot for a chance to win a prize! All photos submitted will be showcased in the 2025 Himmelfarb Library Art Show's Spring Flowers Photo Gallery, which will be displayed both online and on-site.
How to Enter and Contest Rules: Photo submission dates: Monday, March 17 – Tuesday, April 15, 2025. • Complete the Online Contest Submission Form and submit photo (JPEG, PDF, PNG files only). Limit 1 entry per person. • Entry photo must be original to the submitting person and captured in 2025. (Metadata will be verified) • By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest.
Who Can Enter: All students, staff, faculty, and residents affiliated with GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, and School of Nursing.
Judging: Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, and overall artistic impact of the subject matter. The winner will be selected by invited judges and members of the Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb committee.
*Himmelfarb Library reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify rules at its discretion. Himmelfarb Library reserves the right to reject any entry which appears to be off-topic or otherwise violates the rules.
In 1987, the United States established Developmental Disabilities Month with the goal of celebrating the talents and skills of those with developmental disabilities as well as highlighting the issues they face.
But what is a developmental disability? According to the National Library of Medicine’s Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), developmental disabilities are “disorders in which there is a delay in development based on that expected for a given age level or stage of development.” These conditions are quite common; the CDC states that 1 in 6 children ages 3-17 have a developmental disability. Some examples of developmental disabilities are hearing loss, vision impairments, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disorders.
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities runs an awareness campaign every year to mark the month. This year’s campaign is called “We’re Here All Year,” which is meant to promote that awareness and support for people with developmental disabilities should take place throughout the year, not just in March. The campaign is currently seeking photos of individuals working, attending school, volunteering, etc., as part of their everyday lives to showcase in a photo gallery later in the year.
One of the many ways to support people with developmental disabilities is to improve accessibility in our own work. To mark this month, we here at Himmelfarb have provided a short but non-exhaustive list below of accessibility tools and websites that can help ensure information is equitable for everyone.
Color Contrast Checker: If someone is colorblind or has a visual impairment, colors that are too alike in tone can be harder to read. Using online color contrast checkers like this one, you can ensure your graphics and PowerPoints are easier to read.
Captions: Making a video or a TikTok? Add captions to allow people with hearing loss to enjoy your video, too.
Digital Accessibility: When someone has a visual impairment, they may use a screen reader to read content online. Formatting choices that you can make in your own documents will make them as accessible to screen readers as possible. GW has best practice guidelines for making PDFs accessible along with other web-based content.
Language Matters: Some terms used to speak about those with disabilities are based in painful history. Take some time to learn common terms that are used by these communities and how they should be used. When it comes to individuals, ask them what they prefer. https://www.ndrn.org/resource/communicating-about-people-with-disabilities/
Test Proctoring Services and Notetaking: GW disability support services can provide test proctoring services or notetaking services for students registered with them.
[Note: Himmelfarb has replaced this copy with the 2021 edition]
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hatby Oliver Sacks.
About the Book: In short, fascinating chapters – many of them originally published as articles – Sacks records the case studies of his neurological patients. Told with erudite whimsy, these case studies incorporate Sack’s knowledge of philosophy, from Nietzsche to Goethe to Wittgenstein, and his humane spirit. Many chapters expand the original article with a postscript that further defines the neurological condition (like Korsakoff’s Syndrome) and connects Sack’s research with similar cases and increased insights.
Reasons to Read: Oliver Sacks is the kind of author I’d recommend to almost anyone. These cases are like Poe, Lovecraft, Kafka, and Philip K. Dick, except more astonishing because of their reality. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat could be enjoyed both by readers that want to ponder the philosophical implications of these cases and those who simply want to read something interesting.
Reasons to Avoid: Primarily, if you had to decide between An Anthropologist on Mars (also highlighted in the Rotation) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, I recommend the former. With only seven case studies in Anthropologist, Sack has much more space to develop the patient’s story and the background of their condition. But, both books are great.
In May 2025, researchers who are applying for or receiving federal funding will be required to use the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) system to create and complete biographical sketches to attach to their applications for federal funding and support form.
Biographical sketches, also known as biosketches, are documents that capture a researcher's background, including their education and previous professional history, a personal statement that describes their research interests and background and their publication or research product history. SciENcv is intended to reduce the amount of administrative time required to update and format biosketches. The system interfaces with other systems, such as ORCiD, allowing for a seamless transfer of information, such as previous publications, from one system to SciENcv.
To prepare researchers for the change in policy and to help users learn more about SciENcv, Himmelfarb Library recently published the ‘SciENcv’ research guide.
The SciENcv guide is a tool for researchers who are navigating the system for the first time or those who would like step-by-step instructions as they complete their biographical sketches or supporting documents. Each tab on the guide covers a specific aspect of the biosketch process. Users may start at the beginning and follow the instructions to create their SciENcv profile. Or, they may click through the tabs as needed to see detailed instructions and accompanying images to help guide them through the entire process.
Himmelfarb staff are available to assist with navigating SciENcv. If you have questions about the SciENcv guide, contact Brittany Smith, the Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian, at bsmith91@gwu.edu.
Cost: Free (Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.)
Members of the National Symphony Orchestra play an assortment of chamber music.
Cost: Free (Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.)
Ranky Tanky has achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African–rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning yet another milestone at the 2019 Grammy Awards by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release, Good Time.
Date: Sometime mid-March – mid-April. Use the link to check the peak bloom forecast!
Location: DC Tidal Basin
Cost: Free
From Himmelfarb Library, it’s a 1.5-mile, 34-minute walk to the Tidal Basin, where you can find cherry blossoms and many social media-worthy photo ops. Go early in the morning for quiet and fewer people, but regardless, don’t miss this beautiful time of the year in DC!
Location: The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20052
Cost: Free
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the museum at GW, this exhibition explores the histories of two D.C. residences central to its story. In Foggy Bottom, the Woodhull House was home to notable figures in university and national history before its renovation as a museum space. In the Kalorama neighborhood, founder George Hewitt Myers recruited architect John Russell Pope to design his residence, which, together with the adjoining building, housed The Textile Museum for nearly 90 years.
Location: African American History and Culture Museum, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560
Cost: Free
Celebrates the legacy of renowned educator and reformer Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955) and other Black women social change agents: art activations inspired by flowers associated with Mary McLeod Bethune and Sybrina Fulton and writings of poets and playwrights (Explore More! Gallery on L2); cabaret performance by Roz White and Duke Ellington School of the Arts students presentation of Spoken Word pieces inspired by great women (Heritage Hall); and, Sweet Potato Pie available for purchase, inspired by the pies that Mrs. Bethune made and sold to raise funds for her school for Black girls, now Bethune-Cookman University in Florida (Sweet Home Cafe).
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Cost: $15 Registration Fee - Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on March 13.
Local maker Miri Artyukhina of Capital Stitch Co comes to SAAM to lead an embroidery workshop inspired by DC’s favorite flowers, cherry blossoms. Participants will learn embroidery basics and all skills required to create a festive spring artwork.
Cost: Free (Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.)
Join us for an unforgettable evening as ALMO & Júlio Resende bring their unique fusion of jazz, improvisation, and Portuguese soul to life.
Location: DC Wharf, 760 Maine Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024
Cost: Free
Visit The Wharf for Bloomaroo®, a free spring extravaganza featuring an evening of cherry blossom-themed art, music, fireworks, and family-friendly fun along the waterfront. Enjoy fireworks and three stages, each with its own lineup of live music.
