Jennifer Tappan

Jennifer Tappan is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Portland State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on Sub-Saharan and East African history, with a specialization in colonial and tropical medicine, nutritional research, and global health.

• PhD in History from Columbia University (2010)

Her scholarly work examines biomedical and public health interventions in Africa, particularly in Uganda. Recent publications analyze historical intersections of medicine, disease control, and colonial governance, including studies on severe acute malnutrition and blood-related research in Buganda (1938–1952). She teaches courses such as HST 412/512: Health and Healing in Sub-Saharan Africa and Women and Gender in Sub-Saharan African History.

Tappan’s research spans public health history, tropical medicine, and epidemiology, often contextualizing biomedical practices within colonial and post-colonial African societies. She is currently investigating the history of yellow fever in Africa.