Katie Thompson joined the West Virginia University Libraries as curator of the William A. Neal Museum of the Health Sciences in the Health Sciences Center. Thompson will lead in the development of new exhibits and programming for the museum.
“Katie has a passion for engaging students and the public with history that is apparent from the get-go; just start a conversation with her next to one of the Neal Museum’s exhibit cases and you will see,” Tracy Grimm, associate dean for special collections and exhibitions, said. “She also brings extensive teaching experience and a passion for mentoring students to the museum. I am thrilled to have her join the WVU Libraries’ team of curators and archivists.”
Thompson has extensive experience in historical interpretation, exhibit research and design and digital history projects. She has also taught history courses at several colleges and universities. Her interests include Civil War and mental health historical research.
Katie has a passion for engaging students and the public with history that is apparent from the get-go; just start a conversation with her next to one of the Neal Museum’s exhibit cases and you will see. Tracy Grimm
She comes to WVU Libraries from AmeriCorps for which she worked with Clio — a digital history platform, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, Arthurdale Heritage, and the West Virginia Association of Museums.
She has authored chapters in “Wars Civil and Great: A Comparative Analysis of the American Civil War and World War I” and the yet-to-be released “Playing at War: Identity and Memory in American Civil War Era Video Games.”
Thompson earned a Ph.D. in nineteenth century/ Civil War America and a master’s degree from WVU.
The Neal Museum highlights West Virginia’s groundbreaking innovations and discoveries, chronicling breakthroughs from the frontier days in West Virginia to WVU’s modern advancements.
Tracing the history of the schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing and Public Health, added over the course of 150 years, exhibit-goers can experience a vast amount of history while learning about West Virginia and Appalachia’s contributions to healthcare.
The museum displays health-related artifacts, rare manuscripts and other holdings from WVU Libraries and the West Virginia and Regional History Center, in addition to items provided by faculty, alumni and friends of the University. Some features are available through touch screens, making the exhibition interactive.
The museum was conceptualized by the late Dr. William A. Neal, pediatric cardiologist, author of “Quiet Advocate: Edward J. Van Liere’s Influence on Medical Education in West Virginia” and distinguished WVU School of Medicine alumnus, and named in his honor to recognize his hard work, dedication and passion for sharing with the world West Virginia’s contributions to healthcare.