In the fall of 1918, Dr. Alice Hamilton received an invitation from the Dean of Harvard Medical School to deliver three Cutter lectures at the School in April 1919. The Cutter lectures were and are among the most prestigious forums in the field of epidemiology and public health. Since its initiation in 1912, More than 145 lectures have been given in the series. Alice Hamilton was the first woman to participate. At the time she received the invitation she did not know that she was being considered for a faculty appointment in the University.

Her reaction to the invitation is indicated in a quotation from her autobiography.