American Association for the History of Nursing

A group of nurse historians founded, in the early 1980s, the International History of Nursing Society with the purpose of promoting the history of nursing and collaborating on research in the history of nursing. The society was based in Illinois and the society's members soon decided that an international emphasis was premature, so the society's name was changed to the American Association for the History of Nursing (AAHN). The AAHN's annual conferences were begun in 1984.^[5] The society's first president (from 1979 to 1980) was Teresa E. Christy (1927–1982).^[4][6]

History might be an essential component of medical knowledge, and this include the history of nursing as promoted by the AAHN.^[7] According to Susan Mokotoff Reverby, the history of nursing emerged in the 1970s as an active area of scholarship, and the AAHN played an important role in this emergence.^[8]

The AAHN annually presents, at its autumn conference, four awards for completed research in the history of nursing:

1. The Teresa E. Christy Award is for outstanding historical research and writing done by a doctoral student.
2. The Lavinia L. Dock Award is for a book noteworthy for excellence in research and writing.
3. The Mary Adelaide Nutting Award acknowledges the author of a post-doctoral article in the history of nursing.
4. The Mary M. Roberts Award is for a noteworthy, edited book on the history of nursing.

Eligibility for the awards is restricted to AHN members. Submissions for awards should specify which award the AAHN member is applying for.^[9]