Allan H. Friedman Oral History Interview, 2019

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Summary

Creator:
Duke University. Medical Center. Department of Surgery.
Abstract:
Dr. Allan H. Friedman, MD, a Master Surgeon at Duke University, has served as Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Guy L. Odom Professor of Neurological Surgery, and Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on May 14, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the interview, Friedman discusses his early life, educational background, how he decided to become a surgeon, how he came to Duke, his residency at Duke, his career in medicine at Duke, and his memories of Sabiston.
Extent:
1 Interview (1 transcript) and 88.3 MB
Collection ID:
OH.FRIEDMANA

Background

Scope and content:

Includes 1 oral history interview with Dr. Allan H. Friedman conducted on May 14, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
In the May 14, 2019 interview, Friedman discusses his early life, educational background, how he decided to become a surgeon, how he came to Duke, his residency at Duke, his career in medicine at Duke, and his memories of Sabiston.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Allen H. Friedman, MD, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 15, 1949. He graduated with honors from Purdue University (1970) with a BS in physics. He earned his medical degree with honors as a James Scholar of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago (1974). Friedman spent his internship year in general surgical training under Dr. David C. Sabiston, Jr. at Duke University and completed five years of neurosurgical training under Drs. Guy Odom and Robert Wilkins, both former division chiefs of neurosurgery at Duke. Upon completion of his residency, Friedman trained as chief resident and Neurovascular Fellow for Dr. Charles Drake and Dr. Sydney Peerless at the University Hospital in London, Ontario, before studying for three months with Dr. M. Gazi Yasargil, a pioneer in microneurosurgical techniques.
Friedman joined the faculty of Duke University in 1981, where he has based his entire academic career focusing on his clinical and research interests in the surgical treatment of cerebrovascular disease, peripheral nerve disorders, and brain tumors. He is regarded as one of the most technically gifted neurosurgeons in the world, and Friedman is dedicated to improvement of technique, as well as providing compassionate care to patients and their families.
Friedman, regarded as an excellent educator, is known for mentorship, and he is well respected by students, staff, residents, and faculty at Duke. At Duke, he served as the Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, and the Guy L. Odom Professor of Neurological Surgery, an appointment he received in 2001. Friedman served as Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery for 18 years, co-directed the Collegiate Athlete Premedical Experience, and was Director of the Brain School, a bi-weekly ad hoc seminar offered to students and residents. Both programs offered him the opportunity to mentor students as they embark on their own careers in medicine.
Friedman has authored or co-authored more than 370 peer-reviewed articles, 60 book chapters, and several neurosurgical training books. He is committed to advancing the field of neurosurgery, having served on numerous committees and organizations throughout his career, including as President of the Southern Neurosurgical Society, the North Carolina Neurosurgical Society, and the Neurosurgical Society of America. Friedman also served as President of the Society of Neurosurgery, the oldest neurosurgical society comprised of all the chairmen and program directors in North America. From this society, he was awarded their distinguished Service and Medical School Teaching Award. Friedman also served on the editorial board of a number of academic journals, including "World Neurosurgery", "Contemporary Neurosurgery", "Acta Neurochirurgica", and the "Journal of Neuro-Oncology". He holds numerous awards and honors, including the Duke University School of Medicine's Master Clinician/Teacher Award (2010) and the Leonard Palumbo, Jr., MD, Faculty Achievement Award (2016). He rose to the rank of Professor of Surgery.
Friedman is recognized as a true Master Surgeon. This honor is bestowed to establish a living memory of an individual who has embodied the ideals of Duke Surgery, with the expectation that reflection on this illustrious career will serve as a guidepost for those aspiring to a life in the art and science of surgery.
In 1984, Friedman married Dr. Elizabeth Bullitt, the Van Witherspoon distinguished professor of neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They have three children.

Acquisition information:
Accession A2020.045 (transferred by Mary-Russell Roberson, July 2020)
Processing information:

Processed by Lucy Waldrop: September 2020

Arrangement:
Organized into the following series: Interview, May 14, 2019.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Subjects

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Personal Name(s):
Friedman, Allan H.
Sabiston, David C., 1924-2009
Corporate Name(s):
Duke University. Medical Center
Duke University. Medical Center. Department of Surgery
Topical Term(s):
Faculty.
Neurosurgery.
Internship and Residency.

Contents

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Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Allan H. Friedman Oral History Interview, Duke University Medical Center Archives.