The WSHM is an academic organization established in the 1960s to promote the understanding of history of medicine and allied sciences to those in and around the Washington DC area.
Traditionally, WSHM has carried out its mission by holding occasional meetings (excluding the Summer months) where invited speakers lecture on a variety of subjects on or related to the history of medicine. These meetings have been held in several venues in the area, including federal government biomedical institutions, a private hospital, area restaurants, museums, and a medical school. The final meeting of the year normally combines an attendee-funded banquet, business meeting, and lecture. The WSHM also works to bring together area graduate students interested in history of medicine to exchange news of research projects and meet colleagues they might otherwise not know about.
WSHM is a constituent society of the American Association of the History of Medicine (AAHM) and is formally affiliated with the Washington Academy of Sciences.
