Main ContentAsylum Hill Research Consortium
Dr. Ralph Didlake now leads the Asylum Hill Research Consortium, a group of scholars from various disciplines, formed to study, oversee possible exhumations, and respectfully memorialize the lives of those buried on the grounds of what is now the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss.
Pictured in 2018 (front, from left) are consortium members and collaborators including Eric Hospodor, Dr. Sara Gleason, Dr. Ralph Didlake, Mary Ball Markow, Misti Thornton, Dr. Amy Wiese Forbes, Dr. Caroline Compretta, Dr. Véronique Bélisle; (back) Dr. Thomas Gregory, Dr. Tony Boudreaux, Dr. Patrick Hopkins, Dr. Janice Brockley, Dr. Shamsi Berry and Dr. Molly Zuckerman.
Our mission
To preserve, rigorously investigate, and promote the public history and scientific value of the Mississippi State Insane Asylum and to honor the experience and legacy of the individuals who were its patients over an important 80-year period in the history of medicine, mental illness, disability, and social institutions in the State of Mississippi.
Our vision
The Asylum Hill Research Consortium is a model program for investigation, civic engagement, and education in the medical humanities and bioarchaeology. Using evidence-based research, and the best practices of archiving, memorialization, scientific method, and social history, the project serves as both a guide and resource for scholars across disciplines and among diverse organizations.
Guiding principles
The guiding principles of the consortium are:
- Responsible stewardship of physical, cultural, and scientific value of resources
- Adherence to prevailing disciplinary standards of practice
- Shared scholarship across disciplines and effective dissemination of data
- Alignment with UMMC missions
2020 Consortium Members
University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Mississippi
Mississippi State University
- George Bey, PhD
- Amy Wiese Forbes, PhD
Jackson State University
Alcorn State University
- Department of Social Science
Yulonda Eadie Sano, PhD
University of Southern Mississippi
Texas State University
University of Idaho
University of Western Michigan School of Medicine
Community partners
