Collection Description

Collection Summary

This collection documents the experiences of healthcare workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The audiovisual holdings (video and audio recordings of oral interviews) and associated transcripts generated from this endeavor were produced between March 2021 and September 2023. Students enrolled in degree programs across the United States were trained to act as interviewers through a course created and administered by Jacqueline Kellish, PhD, with support from Jane McGrail, PhD, at the National Humanities Center. The majority of these students were pursuing their MDs through accredited medical schools at the time of these interviews. Some undergraduate and graduate students with a range of subject area specializations also took part in this collection process.

Student interviewers were recruited from Duke University, University of Washington, University of California, Irvine, Eastern Michigan University, and Boston University. Interviews with healthcare workers took place in California, Idaho, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. For the purposes of this initiative, the term “healthcare worker” refers to a wide and inclusive range of professional roles providing support for the physical and mental health of populations, employed by a range of institutions.

The interviews in this collection illustrate the daily experiences of healthcare professionals during and after the onset of a global public health crisis. They also highlight interviewees’ perspectives on equity and access in the American healthcare system.

Content in this collection is entirely digital in nature, captured through Zoom interviews during the social distancing phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and then through recordings taken during in-person conversations at later stages. All recording files were created by student interviewers and shared directly with the National Humanities Center, where they were stored in a secure drive. Students were asked to erase the original recording files after they were shared to maintain digital security.

The collection’s digital holdings were processed and maintained by Robin Haley-Ivory. Haley-Ivory also edited audio and video content and supervised the creation of accurate text-based transcripts. Additional support for the transcription process was provided by Anna Broadwell-Gulde, Natasza (Gawlick) Gardener, Kerby Ivory, and Jane McGrail.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use. All uses of this collection should be cited using the appropriate citations detailed for each element of the collection. The National Humanities Center would appreciate being notified via email (jkellish@nationalhumanitiescenter.org) of instances of usage of this collection for research and teaching.

Rights Statement

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, PDFs, downloads, and other media are provided under the NHC Principles on Copyright, Fair Use, and Open Licensing. Visit the Principles webpage for more information on how you can use this resource.