Archival Methods for Public Health Research Training

More and more researchers point to historical context as a major explanation in what they find about health inequities, ecological trends, and unsafe products. Yet insights and methods from the history discipline have yet to really penetrate public health research. This training introduces students to its central methods and analytic constructs, offering them an exciting new approach to add to their respective toolkits. 

1. By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics: 

• How historical scholarship is produced  

• Common pitfalls in analyzing historical material  

• Strategies for approaching material produced in different eras than our own  

• How to locate historical archives   

• What to do once in a historical archive 

• How to conduct and analyze an oral history interview 

• The basics of analyzing various historical sources 

• Methods for organizing and keeping track of historical data 

• Ideas for incorporating historical material into grants and publications  

• Narrative techniques 

• The potential and dangers of digitization and AI methods

Summer 2026: The Archival Methods for Public Health Research Workshop is a live, in-person training taking place August 17-18, 2026 from ~9:00am - ~5:00pm at the Columbia University Irving Medical Campus in NYC. All training start and end times are in EDT.

More information on travel, lodging, and getting around NYC.

Anybody with an interest in incorporating the history of public health into their work is invited: history and public health graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and researchers at any stage of their careers. 

Training Director: Merlin Chowkwanyun, PhD, MPH, Donald H. Gemson Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences

Training scholarships are available for the Archival Methods for Public Health Research Training.

Registration Fee includes course material, breakfast, and lunch on training days. Course material will be available to all attendees during and after the workshop. Lodging and transportation are not included.

2026 Registration Category Rates: 

• ​​​Student/Postdoc/Trainee:
  • Early-bird rate: $1,195
  • Regular rate: $1,395
• Faculty/Academic Staff/Non-Profit Organizations/Government Agencies:
  • Early-bird rate: $1,395
  • Regular rate: $1,595
• Corporate/For-Profit Organizations:
  • Early-bird rate: $1,595
  • Regular rate: $1,795

$200 early-bird discount is automatically applied if you register before the June 15 deadline.  

• $200 Early-bird Discount: This is automatically applied if you register before the June 15 early-bird deadline.  

• 10% Columbia Discount: This is valid for any active student, postdoc, staff, or faculty at Columbia University. If paying by credit card, use your Columbia email address during the registration process to automatically have the discount applied. If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, see below.  

• 10% Mailman Alumni Discount: This is valid for any individual who graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. To access the Mailman Alumni discount and receive a registration code, please email sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail) your graduation year and degree.  

• Group discounts are available for organizations sending 5+ participants. Please contact us directly at sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail) for more information.  

If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, submit this Columbia Internal Transfer Request form to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

If you would prefer to pay by invoice/check, please submit this Invoice Request form to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

Cancellation notices must be received via email at least 30 days prior to the training start date in order to receive a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellation notices received via email 14-29 days prior to the training will receive a 75% refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Please email your cancellation notice to columbia.archivalmethods@gmail.com. Due to workshop capacity and preparation, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations less than 14 days prior to the training.  

If you are unable to attend the training, we encourage you to send a substitute within the same registration category. Please inform us of the substitute via email at least one week prior to the training so we can include them on attendee communications, gather registration details, and provide materials. Should the substitute fall within a different registration category (e.g., you are a faculty member and they are a postdoc), the credit card on file will be credited/charged respectively. Please email substitute inquiries to columbia.archivalmethods@gmail.com. In the event Columbia must cancel the event, your registration fee will be fully refunded.