Edward Kupka Collection

Biography

Edward Kupka graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. in 1923 and received an A.M. in 1926. He received an M.B. from Wayne State University in 1927 and the next year received his M.D. In 1947, Kupka enrolled in the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Hygiene as a social security fellow and graduated with an M.P.H. the following year. He was the chief of the Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, California State department of health in San Francisco. Kupka accepted many tours of duty overseas as a public health advisor. His assignments included the countries of Italy, Samoa, and French Indochina. From 1954 to 1955, he served as public health advisor to the government of Vietnam under the auspices of the foreign aid program. In 1962 after serving two years as a regional tuberculosis consultant to the Pan American Health Organization, Kupka was appointed director of the Chest Disease Service at the Napa State Hospital in Imola, California. At his retirement, he was awarded the California Medal in recognition of his outstanding work in tuberculosis control.

Scope and Content

The Edward Kupka Collection consists of a letter series written by Kupka while serving in French Indochina. Kupka describes the public health and public events related to the French withdrawal from Northern Vietnam in 1954. Of particular interest is his description of the public health needs of thousands of refugees during the evacuation of North Vietnam before partition.

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