Judy Houck

Judy Houck is Chair of the Department of Gender & Women's Studies and holds a joint appointment as Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also serves as an affiliate in Medical History and Bioethics and is Associate Editor of the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. Her research bridges gender studies, medical history, and the history of science, focusing on how bodies are politicized and institutionalized in healthcare contexts.

Education: Ph.D. (1998), M.A. (1994) in History of Science and Medicine from UW-Madison; B.A. (1985) in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College.

Research Interests: Houck examines feminist health activism, the medicalization of women’s bodies, and the intersection of race, gender, and medicine. Her current book project, Looking Through the Speculum, analyzes four California women’s health clinics to explore how feminist institutions navigated social change and service provision. She emphasizes embodied knowledge, critiques of patriarchal medicine, and the tensions between activism and institutionalization.

Teaching: Courses include Science, Medicine, and Race; History of the American Body; and Medical History of Sex and Sexuality. She mentors graduate students in medical history, reproduction, and health activism.

Advising: Supervised graduate work on topics such as health activism, medical ethics, and gender studies. Current advisees include Isobel Ashby, Kyle Miron, and Suzanna Schulert.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary collaborations through her editorial role and affiliations, fostering dialogue between feminist theory, medical history, and public health advocacy.