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Emily Raymond to pursue doctoral research in England

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By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany graduate Emily Raymond made a stop by her father’s science class at Albany High School on Tuesday prior to embarking on a six-week trip to Great Britain to complete research for her doctoral dissertation.

Raymond, who graduated in the AHS Class of 2009, spoke to the class about the importance of developing educational skills while in high school.

“I found out in college that there were people more intelligent than me, but being intelligent doesn’t always result in success,” Raymond, 29, said. “It isn’t how smart someone may be that is most important but learning skills such as time management, a good work ethic, and communication skills that matter the most.”

Raymond received a BS in Behavioral Science (History) in 2013, followed by a Master of Arts in History in 2016, both degrees from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

She then entered a PhD program in History at the University of Kansas, completing course work in the first two years and now writing her dissertation and serving as a graduate teaching assistant at the university. She has taught online courses at Johnson County Community College as well.

“The last class I taught was the history of food, which was really fun to teach even if it was online,” she said. 

Raymond’s dissertation is on the History of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 18th Century Great Britain, technically referred to as man-midwifery in England.

“In 2014, I did a study abroad semester in London and was interested in the history of women in medicine in England,” she said. “I visited several museums and archives and also became interested in how men ended up in the field of child birthing, which had been a female dominated role.”

She learned that in England, many men who wanted to study medicine often first gained experience as a man-midwife. 

With the rise of hospitals as centers for controlled environments and a central location for surgical procedures during the period, England and Scotland became renowned across Europe as top centers for what became modern medicine and surgery.

Raymond will be searching for information to include in the dissertation from new and perhaps little known sources.

“I will be looking for primary sources such as diaries, lecture notes, and manuscripts that have not yet been digitized,” she said. “I will be primarily in London, but I will spend a week each in Edinburgh and Glasgow.”

She left on Wednesday and will return Dec. 2, hopefully with new information that can be included in the dissertation.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Raymond has had to push graduation back to December 2022.

Her plans are to teach at the university level in the future.

“I may have to start at the junior college level and publish some works before I can apply for tenure at a university,” she said. “While I like the research, teaching has always been my goal.”

Raymond is the daughter of André and Roxanne Raymond, who are both educators for Albany ISD.