Interview, February 24, 2024

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Materials are available at the Duke University Medical Center Archives Reading Room.

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Creator:

Livingston, Elizabeth G.

Scope and content:

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Elizabeth G. Livingston on February 24, 2024 by Gemma Holland as part of the Bass Connections Agents of Change Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:26:31 (stereo)

Duration: 01:26:23 (mono)

During the interview, Livingston discusses her upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama; familial influence on academic pursuits; what fostered her passion for science; her transition from high school to Harvard University and new perspectives on academic challenges; highlights of her experiences at Harvard; her decision to pursue medical school; her experiences at Duke University and in Durham, North Carolina; a timeline of her education; her decision to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology; gratitude for supportive colleagues and mentors; her residency at University of California, San Francisco; her maternal-fetal medicine fellowship; early encounters with HIV/AIDS during medical school and residency, the impact of Elizabeth Taylor's HIV/AIDS advocacy, the pivotal role of community advocacy and collaboration in advancing HIV/AIDS research and care, the importance of compassion and dispelling misconceptions among healthcare professionals, and personal anecdotes illustrating the challenges and complexities of caring for HIV/AIDS patients; her involvement in organized medicine and the evolving perception of its role in advocating for patient rights; experiences in the North Carolina state legislature; the historical context of abortion care within medical education and practice; navigating relationships with legislators and balancing advocacy priorities; changes in maternal-fetal medicine and the lack of progress in certain areas; her on-going involvement in patient care, involvement at Duke University beyond patient care, including committee roles and interactions within the broader university community; the value of engaging with diverse perspectives within the university; the transformative experience she had working in Tanzania; pride in her contributions to HIV care and advocacy; and the positive shifts in institutional support for reproductive rights at Duke University. The themes of this interview include resilience, compassion, and the ongoing pursuit of equitable healthcare for all.

Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (DOCX), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), consent form (PDF), an image (PNG), and TXT files.

Processing information:

Material in this series was processed using AXAEM's Electronic Records Processing module, which incorporates Bagger as a way to package electronic files with technical metadata. Captured digital content was ingested into AXAEM, where ClamAV Anti-Virus software detected and cleaned any computer viruses. The cleaned files were saved on the Duke University Medical Center Archives' secure server with a regular backup schedule. Includes 9 files totaling 993 MB that are available for research: Accession A2024.072 (9 files totaling 993 MB).

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