Preferred Citation
Conditions Governing Access
Publication Rights
Separated Materials
Acquisition Information
Additions
Related Collections
Processing Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Contents
Arrangement
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, San Francisco Archives & Special Collections
Title: Selma Dritz papers
source:
Dritz, Deborah
creator:
Dritz, Selma K., 1917-
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2009.04
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear Feet
(2 cartons)
Date (inclusive): 1965-2008
Abstract: Selma K. Dritz, MD, MPH, served as Assistant Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Chief of the Division
of Occupational Health of the San Francisco Department of Public Health from 1967-1984. She played a seminal role in the early
years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the San Francisco Bay Area. Collection includes material predominantly related to HIV/AIDS,
including correspondence, research and educational materials, publications and clippings, and conference and lecture materials.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Selma Dritz papers, MSS 2009-04. Archives and Special Collections, University of California, San
Francisco.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. The UCSF Archives and Special Collections policy places access restrictions on material with
privacy issues for a specific time period from the date of creation. Restrictions are noted at the folder level. This collection
will be reviewed for sensitive content upon request. Contact the UCSF Archivist for information on access to restricted material.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Library and Center for Knowledge Management. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the UCSF Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of
the Library and Center for Knowledge Management as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Separated Materials
Selected publications from the collection have been transferred to the AIDS History Book Collection of the UCSF Archives and
Special Collections. They have been individually cataloged and are available to researchers in the reading room.
Acquisition Information
The papers were given by Selma Dritz to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. San Francisco AIDS Foundation gave the material
to UCSF Archives and Special Collections. Collection was donated to UCSF by Deborah Dritz in 2009.
Additions
No future additions are expected.
Related Collections
The collection is part of the AIDS History Project. Learn more about the project and related collections by contacting the
UCSF Archivist or visiting www.library.ucsf.edu/archives/aids.
Processing Information
Processed by Kelsi Evans in 2017.
Biographical Information
Selma K. Dritz (1917-2008), MD, MPH, played a seminal role in the early years of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. As Assistant
Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Chief of the Division of Occupational Health of the San Francisco
Department of Public Health, she tracked cases of HIV/AIDS and collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to help establish the etiology and epidemiology of the disease.
She worked to educate gay and straight people about AIDS recognition and prevention.
Dritz was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. She attended the University of Illinois (BS in Medicine, 1939; MD, 1941) and
the University of California, Berkeley (MPH, 1967). Dritz began her career in pediatrics but later shifted to public health,
joining the San Francisco Department of Public Health in 1967. From 1967-1984 she served as Assistant Director of the Bureau
of Communicable Disease Control and Chief of the Division of Occupational Health of the San Francisco Department of Public
Health. She became an expert in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS and helped lead the department's efforts in related
prevention, policy, and research. She authored numerous publications and was a member of several professional organizations,
including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the California Medical Association, and
the San Francisco Medical Society. She served on the California State Task Force on AIDS and worked as a consultant to the
University of California, San Francisco Medical School. She died in 2008.
Scope and Contents
The collection predominantly relates to Dritz's work with HIV/AIDS, Kaposi sarcoma (KS), Pneumocystis pneumonia, and sexually
transmitted diseases in the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes material regarding research, education, prevention, and public
health policy, including correspondence, statistical data, clinical care and case study guidelines, publications and clippings,
and conference and lecture materials. Some photographs and slides are included. The bulk of the material is dated 1980-2000.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by subject-headed folders. Original folder arrangement and titles have been maintained with minimal
intervention by the archivist.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
AIDS (Disease) -- California -- San Francisco
Public health
Dritz, Deborah