The 19th European Association of Museums of the History of Medical Sciences biennial Congress will be held in Barcelona (Spain), 19^th-22^nd September 2018, and is jointly hosted between the Medical History Museum in Catalonia, the Catalan Society for the History of Science and Technology (IEC), the Spanish Research Council (IMF), the Royal Academy of Medicine in Catalonia and the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Hospital site.
EAMHMS is an active global network of curators, scholars and stakeholders with an interest in medical collections. The biennial Congress is a great opportunity to present research within a vibrant forum of debate and discussion, and promote international exchange and collaboration amongst medical history museums.

Following the stimulating EAMHMS biennial conferences hosted in Edinburgh (2008), Copenhagen (2010), Berlin (2012), London (2014) and Groningen (2016), the 2018 Congress opens the door wide to all those interested in the material culture of medicine and cordially invites you to Barcelona. This will be the second time that Barcelona hosts a meeting of the association, the previous Congress was held in 1990.
The 2018 Congress will focus on the curatorial approaches that are redefining what it means to be a 21st century medical museum. It will explore new ways of thinking about museum basics – collecting/researching, exhibiting/communicating, and teaching/learning – through perspectives that take digital tools into account and new lines of research that are fostered by enriching perspectives such as contemporary art and the history of art, the history of scientific technology, medical education and practice and the medical entrepreneurial business. In a world which increasingly consumes history, medical museums have so much to offer to different kinds of publics. In addition, the Congress will address possibilities and approaches to topics inscribed in medical artefacts which connect with society and everyday life.

Call for Papers:

Contributions on following topics in the following strands are welcome:

• The digital museum: How are digital technologies transforming medical museums and what is their proposed value? How does an adoption of a user-centric approach create new relationships between museums and communities? Using these technologies, how can we care for medical contemporary heritage? What is the role of medical museums between digital and real objects? Should we integrate digital into the workflow of our museums? Should our collections be in the app store or should our museums have a channel on YouTube? What kind of skills and competencies do we need in our collections and museums in the 21^st century?
• Synergies: art, technology and thinking: Should we create spaces to work together with colleagues from a wider range of different fields? Do we foster fruitful relationships with other colleagues? Do we profit from the social visibility of such working teams? Do we need graphic designers or visual translators? What is the meaning of a curator today in our fields and what are his/her functions: historian, developer, designer, researcher, communicator, teacher, restorer, fundraiser, scientist, manager
• Publics: Who are our publics and how do we engage with them? Are they students, families, medical doctors, citizens, tourists …? What models of communication do we use to explain that medical artefacts matter to different kinds of publics? How do we foster citizen building and critical thinking through medical collections and our current and daily life? Can we contribute to the making of participative citizens regarding medical science? How free can we really be when considering some controversial medical topics?
• Free section: an open session of topics currently relevant within the framework of medical history objects and collections.

Paper presentations are requested to be no more than 15 minutes in length (with an additional 15 minutes allotted for questions). As spaces for speakers are limited, on this occasion there will be a special session of short and sharp presentations (8 minutes in length each) where students, professionals and institutions can present research, collections, objects, pictures, exhibitions or plans for the future. The language for abstracts, talks, and discussions will be English. Short abstracts will be circulated to Congress participants in advance.
We ask you to select a topic from the strands above and send your paper abstract (maximum 1000 characters) with a title, your name and brief biography, the name of your institution (if you are attached to any) and your contact details (preferably e-mail address) to Alfons Zarzoso, Curator of the Medical History Museum in Catalonia, Barcelona. E-mail: azarzoso(at)museudelamedicina.cat
We especially want to encourage colleagues from Southern European countries to participate in this conference. However, this Call for Papers is directed to attract interested colleagues from all over the world.

Deadline for submission: 1 February 2018.

A programme committee will select abstracts to build an inspiring programme. Speakers and short presenters will receive confirmation by end-March 2018.
EAMHMS shares costs across the congress, so unfortunately speakers are also required to pay the Congress fee. The fee is envisaged at about Euro 200, but will be confirmed shortly. There may be a reduced fee for a small number of student contributors. General enrolment for this conference will open in April 2018, when the confirmed programme wil also be released.
For further information and registration, go to this web page: https://eamhms2018barcelona.wordpress.com/