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Center for Contemporary History and Policy

The Center for Contemporary History and Policy offers historically grounded perspectives on issues related to the molecular sciences and technologies. The Center’s programmatic initiatives draw on diverse historical and contemporary source materials to provide knowledge, perspective, and advice to stakeholders from industry, academia, government, and citizen groups.

The Center comprises CHF’s Oral History Program and five major areas of expertise: Climate and Energy, Health and Medicine, Environment, Regulation, and Emerging Technologies.

Our goal is to become a unique and essential node in the network of institutions and organizations that shape health, environment, risk, innovation policy, and public discourse on these matters by producing socially- and historically-centered perspectives on these areas.

Our multi-disciplinary staff is comprised of members diversely trained in the areas of history, sociology, and/or the politics of science, biomedicine, and technology, as well as the natural sciences. Our current senior staff members’ projects shed light on complex social, political, and public policy issues, and include:

• the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) oral history project, with lessons for reform;
• a project on the exploration of social, ethical, and policy implications for health research and care as new models of gene-environment interactions (GEI) emerge to study disease;
• a historical study that re-evaluates the development of nanotechnology through a transnational context; and  
• project on the role of military medicine on the construction and re-construction of soldiers.  

The Center carries out independent research leading to white papers and peer-reviewed publications; hosts conferences, roundtables, workshops, and symposia; conducts and collects oral histories of individuals significant to their scientific fields, industry, or related policy; and assists local, national, and international organizations in preparations for anniversaries and other events.