Background
Dr. Timothy Newfield is an Associate Professor of History and Biology at Georgetown University, where his research focuses on the history of infectious diseases and climate change in premodernity. Currently, he is working on a study of the origins of smallpox. He earned his undergraduate degree at York University and received his Master’s in Medieval and Early Modern European Studies from the University of Toronto and his PhD in Classics and History from McGill University. Five years of postdoctoral fellowships after that at the University of Michigan and Princeton gave him time to build collaborations with and literacy in the sciences of past disease.
Involvement in Research
Historical epidemiology, Dr. Newfield explains, is separate from history–in this field, scholars utilize written sources as well as disease ecology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, virology, and paleogenetics. In turn, this agglomeration of diverse data and viewpoints enhances the picture of illness in the past. For example, he describes the effect of knowing history on the understanding of disease emergence: instead of being limited to making predictions based on recent, modern outbreaks, historical epidemiologists can use earlier data to corroborate identified trends or to rewrite those trends.
To study smallpox’s emergence, Dr. Newfield received Georgetown University's Magis Prize in 2024. His team of Georgetown undergraduate and graduate students, and postdocs, is working on reassessing purported written evidence for early smallpox and recovering ancient genetic material of smallpox’s virus in order to reestablish smallpox’s early history from a global perspective.
Inspiration
Dr. Newfield’s interest in historical epidemiology stems in part from his mother, who worked in a hospital and then as a community nurse, which exposed him to the world of healthcare and illness, and in part from high school history courses, which spurred and fostered his passion for the past. These two influences would later push him towards the niche of historical epidemiology. Once he entered university, Dr. Newfield pursued a degree in history so he could now study health with a historical lens.
Reflection
Dr. Newfield highlights the vast possibilities that historical epidemiology can bring particularly when approaches are interdisciplinary. Combining history and biology can increase the awareness of the factors that contribute to disease outbreaks and build a more comprehensive understanding of the emergence and spread of novel pathogens in general. He refers to the current state of his field as being at a new dawn, a new dawn of information. Data is being discovered nearly every day that affects our understanding of past disease.
Advice for Students
For students, Dr. Newfield suggests it is helpful to really think carefully about what one’s genuine interests are and what you truly wish to pursue. Once you have this understanding, he recommends that students create opportunities for themselves by searching through faculty pages and connecting with professors they would like to work with and learn from. Even with a busy schedule, it is important to carve out some time to reflect on yourself. Naturally, he advocates for History and “learning about the world and about our place in it.” He also proposes that students consider bringing interests and disciplines together in novel ways. Doing so could help students find (or create!) an area of study that is impactful and really means something to them.