STHC 2026 Election Candidate Information

Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2026 STHC Section election. Please review the candidate statements and get to know them so you can make an informed choice. We are electing a Junior Co-chair for 2026-2028, and a Member At Large for 2026-2029.

• The Junior Co-chair serves two years, with the second year as acting Senior Co-chair. Co-chairs develop and implement section events, schedule steering committee meetings, communicate with SAA leadership, and uphold section rules and procedures.
• The Members At Large serve three-year terms. Members At Large attend steering committee meetings, develop section events, write or solicit articles for the STHC's Archival Elements blog, and liaise with related groups.

Ballots will be managed by SAA, so please keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens in June!

Junior Co-Chair

Taiya McDowell
University Archivist & Curator
LSU Health - Shreveport

Taiya McDowell is the Medical Historian, University Archivist, and Curator at LSU Health Shreveport, where she works within the School of Medicine’s medical library to develop exhibits and conduct research grounded in the archival collections. Her work focuses on teaching medical students and faculty the history of medicine through material culture, making archival resources both accessible and engaging. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History with a concentration in Digital Humanities and a Master of Library Science with a concentration in Archives and Records Management. Her professional experience includes positions with Northwestern State University Archives, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Library of Congress, all of which have shaped her collaborative and innovative approach to archival practice.

As a candidate for Junior Co-Chair of the SAA Science, Technology, and Health Care Section, Taiya brings both leadership experience and a strong commitment to professional engagement within specialized archival communities. In her current role, she has already developed impactful programming and exhibits that highlight the value of medical archives in education and research. She is eager to support the section’s mission by fostering connections among archivists, developing meaningful programming, and creating spaces for shared problem-solving and innovation. Taiya is especially interested in expanding opportunities for members to engage with material culture, interdisciplinary research, and emerging exhibit strategies within science and healthcare archives.

Member At Large

Jose Javier Garza
Library Information Analyst & Archivist
MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas

My name is Jose Javier Garza and I am an archivist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Historical Resources Center in Houston, Texas. Working at the MD Anderson archives was my first job as professional archivist, and I’ve been there since 2007. Most of the collections in the archives detail the history of MD Anderson and its impact on oncology care. One of the projects I am most proud of is our oral history collection where we provide first person narratives of the people who made MD Anderson into the institution it is today. I’m also excited about our efforts to post several of our collections to our institution repository so they can be accessed by everyone.

My extra-career has focused on professional development, including obtaining my Academy of Certified Archivists certification and my Digital Archives Specialist designation from SAA. Additionally, I have certificates in advanced studies in Medical Librarianship from the University of North Texas and Biomedical Informatics from the UT School of Biomedical Sciences. I’ve been interested in participating in the Science Technology and Health Care Section for some time, and serving as a Member-At-Large is an excellent way of connecting with fellow archivists in a similar field. I hope I can bring a unique perspective on medical archives as the profession develops. In other settings, both formal and informal, I’ve appreciated discussing issues that impact on our profession including digital collections, accessibly, access while protecting privacy. I am hoping this will be excellent opportunity to help other archivists while growing my knowledge as well.

Kate Greenberg
Processing Archivist
Cornell University

My name is Kate Greenberg, and I would like to nominate myself for the position of Member-at-Large of the SAA Science, Technology, and Health Care section. I am currently a Processing Archivist working with the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University. I hold a BA in Art History and Medieval Studies and a Master of Information degree with an Archives and Preservation concentration, both from Rutgers University--New Brunswick. Previously, I held positions with the University at Buffalo, Rutgers University Libraries, Saint Joseph's University, and the Science History Institute. My research interests include the ways in which STEM students and professionals engage with historical archival materials related to their disciplines, and how these connections to shared pasts influence their contemporary practice.

My interest in histories of science and technology led me to an internship with the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, where I conducted research on the Institute’s collections in support of the exhibition BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textile. I worked further with history of science collections at the University at Buffalo, where I developed and led primary source-based instruction sessions using historical materials documenting the Love Canal environmental disaster, among other topics. In my current position at Cornell, I work with historical manuscript collections and university archives collections that document a variety of subjects and disciplines. As Member-at-Large, I will draw upon my past and current experiences to build connections between archivists working on science and technology collections as we share ideas and work to make these fascinating collections accessible.