Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek Selected as Inaugural Recipient of Nursing Archives Associates Archival Research Award
Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek
The Nursing Archives Associates (NAA) have selected Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, as the inaugural recipient of the NAA Archival Research Award.
The award supports historical research about nursing and health care, and encourages the use of the History of Nursing Archives housed in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University Libraries for primary source research. Through this award, the NAA and BU Libraries seek to encourage innovative research through the archives and create accessible research opportunities.
Dr. Wytenbroek plans to use this award to study Virginia Arnold’s role in developing nursing leadership in the Global South through the Virgina Arnold Collection. Arnold’s papers, donated to BU as part of the Nursing Archives, document Arnold’s work as the Assistant Director for Medical Education and Public Health for the Rockefeller Foundation. In this role, she developed the nursing education program at the University of Valle in Cali, Colombia, and the World Health Organization’s regional center for nursing education at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
The NAA Research Award will enable Dr. Wytenbroek to gain insight into Arnold’s international nursing work and her influence on the expansion of the nursing profession in the Global South through Arnold’s own diaries, manuscripts, correspondence, and other primary sources. The BU Libraries are proud to host Dr. Wytenbroek, and work in partnership with the Nursing Archives Associates to provide greater support for scholars like Dr. Wytenbroek.
The History of Nursing Archives includes more than two hundred collections from various nurses and nursing organizations, chronicling the history of the nursing profession from its beginnings to the present day. Learn more about the History of Nursing Archives.
Please note that the 2026-2027 NAA Archival Research Award will be announced in Fall 2026 and we look forward to applications!