Academic interests
Christoph Gradmann’s research mainly focuses on the history of infectious disease in modernity (19th ct to present). His point of departure was the cultural history and the history of science of late 19th ct German medical bacteriology. In this context he wrote a biography of the German physician Robert Koch (1843-1910). Recently he has broadened his focus and now investigates what had happened to infectious disease when they seemed to be returning at the end of the 20th century. Keywords are antibiotic resistance, nosocomial infections, emerging infections, antibiotic drug development etc. Currently, he works on the history of global health with special emphasis on the contemporary history of multi drug resistant tuberculosis, on antibiotics resistance in global health and on the history of antibiotic drug development.
Christoph Gradmann has worked on historiographic issues and in particular on the theory and history of biographies a s genre of historical text. He has published papers, has edited biographical dictionaries and written a book about biographies in interwar Germany.
Courses taught
- Medicine: 1st and 10th semester
- Mphil programme ”International Community Heath”
- The Medical Faculty's PhD school: MF 9010 (Introductory course), HE S9320 (Medical history)
Background
Christoph Gradmann has studied history and literary studies in Hannover (Germany) and Birmingham (UK). He took his M.A. in 1987 and a Dr.phil. in 1991. A postdoctoral examination, qualifying for professorial rank, the so-called Habilitation (in history of medicine and science), was taken in 2002.
Christoph Gradmann has held academic positions Hannover (1991-1992), Heidelberg, (1992-2006) and Berlin (1997). He has been a professor at UiO since 2006.
Awards
- Robert Koch Medal by the Robert Koch Institute (Berlin) in 2005
- Leverhulme Visting Professor, Faculty of History & Green Templeton College, University of Oxford (2013-2014)
Editorial Work
Christoph Gradmann is serving or has served on the editorial board of some journals. For instance:
- Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte
- ISIS
- Medical History
- NTM - Journal for History of Science, Technology and Medicine
He is currently co-editor of Social History of Medicine
Collaboration
Christoph Gradmann will be leading a five-country collaborative project on the history of antibiotic drug development How did the Antibiotic Pipeline Run Dry? commencing in August 2021.
Christoph Gradmann has been on the executive committee of the ERC project GLOBHEALTH that studied the transition from international to global health.
Christoph Gradmann has been on the team of the AHRC funded Rand Europe Project AMR policy development: looking forward through history.
Christoph Gradmann has a broad network of collaborations, both nationally and internationally. Together with Christian Bonah (Strassbourg), Jean Paul Gaudelliere (Paris) and Volkers Hess (Berlin) he has initiated the ESF Research Network Program DRUGS, which, running from 2008 - 2013, has had members in nine European countries.