The South Asian Studies Program (SASP) will be hosting a lecture by Susan Heydon titled, “Investigating Smallpox in Nepal.” The event is free and open to the public and will be held on Thursday, November 19, from 4:30-6:00 pm in UCC 1117.

Dr. Heydon will discuss the official history of the successful global smallpox eradication campaign in Nepal. The campaign was the country’s first national health program, which reached all parts of the country within a few years. Eradicating smallpox from Nepal was and remains a considerable achievement, but little information is available about this “terrible disease” in Nepal prior to the eradication program after 1967. Why was the program successful? The official history directs us to look at the specific features of the program. Were there, however, other factors in Nepal that contributed to its success? While evidence about smallpox in Nepal prior to the reporting that began in the 1960s is limited, can it help us better understand and evaluate the achievement of the program when we gather it from a wide array of sources?

Susan Heydon (PhD, History, University of Otago, New Zealand, 2006) is senior lecturer in social pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, New Zealand. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students about medicines and society. Her research uses historical methods to explore current health issues, and focuses on Nepal, where she spent two years with her family as a volunteer in the Mt Everest region. She is author of Modern Medicine and International Aid: Khunde Hospital, Nepal 1966-1998, as well as a number of book chapters and journal articles.

This event is sponsored by SASP. Visit the SASP events page to see the full list of SASP events for 2015.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Paul Greenough in advance.