Skip to main content

Martha H. Roper Papers

 Collection
Call Number: Ms Coll 64

Scope and Contents

The papers are comprised of writings, correspondence, and research materials, including notes, data sets, and reference articles, related to Roper’s work in epidemiology and global health. Major areas of Roper's research and writing include global incidences of maternal and neonatal tetanus, pertussis, and diphtheria; malaria in Peru, Indonesia, and parts of Africa; tuberculosis in Peru and California (United States); myocarditis and pericarditis in the United States related to smallpox vaccination; leishmaniasis in Brazil; polio in Pakistan and Nepal; Japanese encephalitis in South and South East Asia; and the ebola virus in the Bombali District of Sierra Leone. The collection also holds a study on domestic violence sponsored by Yale University School of Medicine for which Roper served as a research associate.

The collection also includes newspaper clippings, memoranda, and correspondence from Roper's career as both an internist and medical director at Highland General Hospital, including a study on pelvic infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Course materials, professional trainings and certifications, and employment contracts are also represented in the collection.

Dates

  • 1925 - 2016

Creator

Language of Materials

The materials are written primarily in English, Spanish, and French. Collection also includes materials written in Indonesian, Nepali, and Portuguese.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research, except for Boxes 46 and 47, which contain patient records and are restricted. Researchers may apply for access to restricted material. Contact the Medical Historical Library at historical.library@yale.edu for further information.

Access to original materials in Series IV. Digital files, is restricted. Researchers must consult with the provided surrogate copies. Access requires advance notice. To request access, contact the Medical Historical Library at historical.library@yale.edu.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright has been transferred to Yale University for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by Martha H. Roper. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of William Roper, 2016.

Arrangement

Arranged in four series: I. General, 1978-2016, II. Research and writing, 1925-2016, III. Educational materials, 1972-2004, and IV. Digital files.

Extent

19.6 Linear Feet (48 boxes)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/med.ms.0064

Additional Description

Abstract

The papers are comprised of writings, correspondence, and research materials, including notes, data sets, and reference articles, related to Roper’s work in epidemiology and global health. The collection also includes newspaper clippings, memoranda, and correspondence from Roper's career as an internist and medical director at Highland General Hospital. Course materials, professional trainings and certifications, and employment contracts are also represented in the collection.

Biographical / Historical

Martha (Marty) Hewitt Roper was born on June 10, 1952 and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Admitted to Yale University’s second co-education class, Roper earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1975, before continuing on to earn a medical degree from New York University in 1980, a master of public health degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995, and a diploma of tropical medicine and hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1996.

An internist for fifteen years, Roper eventually became the medical director and division chief of the Acute Care Clinic, Department of Emergency Medicine at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California. After studying epidemiology in the mid-1990s, Roper worked for such organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and contributed research for the United States Department of Health, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United States Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment (NAMRID). Roper’s breadth of research spanned the world and such diseases as diphtheria, leishmaniasis, pertussis, and malaria. A leading authority on maternal and neonatal tetanus, Roper continued working almost until her death on June 28, 2016.

Separated Materials

Article reprints and duplicate materials were removed from the collection.

Processing Information

The collection was arranged and described according to national and local standards. As much as possible, original folder titles were retained.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Martha H. Roper Papers
Status
Completed
Author
created by Michelle Peralta
Date
2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Medical Historical Library, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library Repository

http://historical.medicine.yale.edu/
Contact:
Yale University
333 Cedar St.
New Haven CT 06520-8014 US
203-737-1192
203-785-5636 (Fax)

Opening Hours

Suggest a Correction