Gettysburg College Professor Jim Downs has been awarded a prestigious 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, recognizing his groundbreaking scholarship in the history of medicine and the Civil War era.
Downs, who holds the Gilder Lehrman NEH Chair of Civil War Era Studies, is one of just 198 recipients selected from over 3,500 applicants nationwide. He is only the second Gettysburg faculty member to receive the fellowship in its 100-year history.
A noted historian, Downs was honored in the category of History of Science, Technology, and Economics. His research has transformed understanding of race, public health, and slavery. His books, including Sick from Freedom and Maladies of Empire, have been widely acclaimed and featured in national media.
Downs is currently studying the 1866 cholera pandemic’s effects on Native American and Black communities after the Civil War. He views the fellowship as both recognition of his past contributions and an opportunity to continue work that bridges academic research and public discourse.
Provost Jamila Bookwala called the award “exciting but not surprising,” citing Downs’s visionary contributions to history and medicine. Gettysburg College celebrates his achievement and looks ahead to his future scholarship and continued mentorship of students.
The Guggenheim Foundation has supported over 19,000 fellows since 1925, including Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.
Source: Gettysburg College