Amy Forbes

Amy Forbes is a Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at Millsaps College, also serving as Co-director of Medical Humanities. She actively engages with the History Club through trivia nights, movie screenings, and weekend trips, fostering a vibrant academic community while emphasizing the critical role of historical study in understanding human experience.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University
• M.A. in History from the University of Georgia
• M.Ed. in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia
• B.A. in History from Louisiana State University

Professor Forbes specializes in Medical History, Cultural History, and European History with regional expertise in France and the Francophone lower Mississippi Valley. Her research examines French political satire, medical disputes and dueling in New Orleans, sickle cell disease and segregation in Mississippi, and institutional mental health history. Current projects include a history of the Mississippi state mental hospital on the University of Mississippi Medical Center campus and analysis of a 1918 psychiatric nursing scandal.

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with significant funding:

• NEH Collaborative Research Grant (2020-2024) as Primary Investigator/Project Director
• NEH Common Heritage Grant (2019-2020) as Primary Investigator

As an educator, she teaches Freshman Writing Seminars and Senior Research Seminars while leading Millsaps' study abroad program in London. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary relevance through medical humanities initiatives and community-focused historical projects.