UTA historian appointed Larson Fellow at Library of Congress
An assistant professor in history at The University of Texas at Arlington has received the David B. Larson Fellowship in Health and Spirituality from the Library of Congress.
Alberto Ortiz-Díaz—who teaches courses on the histories of medicine, health and incarceration, crime and punishment, and historical research methods—will conduct research on medicine, corrections, and broader health movements in the Caribbean in the mid-20th century.
The Larson Fellowship is designed to continue David B. Larson’s legacy of scholarly study into health and spirituality. Ortiz-Díaz said that he is excited to complete his research and engage with policymakers and politicians.
“I’m passionate about these topics for several reasons, both professional and personal,” said Ortiz-Díaz. “I'm looking forward to conducting further research on understudied histories and people, which is a passion of mine, and dialoguing with a diverse community of peers at the Kluge Center.”
The fellowship is offered by the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, which seeks to better understand and address the challenges facing democracies in the 21st century by bridging the gap between scholarship and the policymaking community. The Kluge Center offers fellowships in an array of subjects that can be supported by the Library’s vast collections and digital resources. Fellows receive individual carrels in the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building.