The Edward M. Cohart Papers consist of office files from the early part of his career as a professor of public health at Yale. They document his two major projects: the development of a Cancer Control Program at Yale, and a research project consisting of time studies of public health personnel. The Cancer Control Program approached cancer as a public health problem, to be dealt with on a community basis. The program involved both cancer research and special training for various types of public health workers. The personnel research project, co-directed by William R. Willard, used time studies to determine the content and requirements of public health jobs. The project studied 1648 people in six states. Both of these projects were supported by grants from the United States Public Health Service.
The office files consist of correspondence, writings, reports, research materials, samples of questionnaires and other forms from the personnel research project, grant materials and printed matter. They have been arranged in a single alphabetical sequence, by name of correspondent or by type of material. The central working files for the projects described above will be found under the headings "Yale Public Health Personnel Research Project" and "Yale University School of Medicine. Department of Public Health: Cancer Control Program," but most of the other papers also concern these two projects. There are two folders of correspondence with Ira V. Hiscock, the chairman of the Yale Department of Public Health during this period, but most of the exchanges concern routine departmental matters.
The papers were accessioned from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, ca. 1971.