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This oral history interview was conducted with James B. Wyngaarden on April 9, 1982 by James Gifford.
Duration: 1:10:00
Wyngaarden discusses his background; education; war experience; research; internship at Massachusetts General Hospital; work with Walter Bauer on arthritis patients; steroids; potential draft for Korean War; Jim Shannon; National Institutes of Health; Public Health Service; work in Public Health Institute of the City of New York; purines; interest in chemistry; gout; research life at the NIH; eventual dissatisfaction with research life; looking for other employment; excitement at Duke University; Phil Handler; Eugene Stead; declining to work at VA hospital at Duke; arthritis training grant; receiving offer of junior position at Duke; arthritis research; increase in NIH budget, especially under William Sebrell; Department of Medicine taking advantage of NIH funding; financial support of department from PDC; members of department; growth of department; career investigator for NIH; joint appointment in Department of Biochemistry; medical research training program; funding for medical research training program; end of rounding duties in running medical research training program; year's work in the Sorbonne; molecular biochemical genetics; heavy leadership duties at Duke; retirement of Eugene Stead; chairmanship at University of Pennsylvania; meeting with Dr. William Anlyan and Dr. David Sabiston to recruit Wyngaarden back to Duke; atmosphere at University of Pennsylvania versus atmosphere at Duke; chairmanship at Duke; purine metabolism; philosophy and character of Eugene Stead; contrast between research in 1950s and current; Department of Medicine under Eugene Stead; Dan Tosteson; beginnings of research training program; initial faculty of research training program; MD/PhD programs funded by NIH; end of research training program; impact of research training program; new curriculum; and the advantages and disadvantages of curriculum. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape, 1 use audiocassette tape, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interviews was conducted with Dr. Walter G. Wolfe on July 14, 1994 by Dr. James F. Gifford.

Duration: 00:40:00

During the interview, Wolfe discusses his career, work of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory of which Wolfe was the director, the structure of the Department of Surgery, and the evolution of the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Wilson speaks about the three components of the Duke Medical Center during her tenure as dean (Duke School of Nursing, Duke School of Medicine, and Duke Hospital); the distinct but congruent nature of the three entities; working with Dr. William Anlyan on the Medical Education for National Defense (MEND) project; the details of the MEND project; Dr. Anlyan's request in 1968 that she return to Duke and become dean of the School of Nursing; her initial rejection of the request; the state of the School of Nursing and the nursing service at the time; her work (as a faculty member and special assistant to the director of the nursing service) on the experimental nursing project in Hanes Ward, 1961-1962; the details of that project; her success in that project being the impetus for her being recommended for the director of nursing services position; Wilma Minniear being offered that position at Wilson's recommendation; Dr. Wilson's return from her work in Thailand to become dean of the School of Nursing; the process of her becoming dean; her work as a clinical nurse specialist, beginning in 1963; the process of deciding to get an Doctor of Education degree; turning down Dr. Eugene Stead's request that she get an MD; Thelma Ingles's work with Dr. Stead; the National League of Nursing's disapproval of Duke's unorthodox methods; Dr. Stead's support; her work as dean to increase morale in the School of Nursing; creating new courses for the School of Nursing; requesting that her counterpart at the Durham VA Hospital serve on the Duke Dean's Committee; creative curriculum offerings at the Duke School of Nursing; strengthening the School of Nursing in various departments that were previously weak; working on committees to study national healthcare; working on committees to open a new building for the Duke Medical Center Library; the School of Nursing's involvement in an Area Health Education Center (AHEC); Highland Hospital; Sea Level Hospital; working on committees to outline a no-smoking policy; other collaborative efforts with the School of Medicine; her lobbying efforts on behalf of nursing; her work on committees to open Duke Hospital North; other women at Duke; the articulation of her own legacy; her committee work in the Institute of Medicine; her desire to include women in the physician's assistant program; the differences between nurses' and physicians' responsibilities; Duke School of Nursing as operating with cutting-edge ideas; Duke's support of new ideas; and her love of challenges and new opportunities.

This oral history interview was conducted with Joanne A. P. Wilson on May 24, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.

Duration: 02:03:39

Dr. Joanne A. P. Wilson discusses the importance of recognizing history; her own background; parochial school; being an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; medical school at Duke; house staff training at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital; being a woman and minority in some of these situations; her faculty position at the University of Michigan; the new maternity leave policy at Michigan; the lack of adjustment on the tenure clock for faculty having children at Michigan; her return to Duke in 1986; being among the first wave of African-Americans to graduate from Duke Medical School; working a summer program at Duke in the 1970s to help disadvantaged students become interested in medicine; the lack of North Carolinians at Duke; her community service work during medical school; her medical school class's interest in community service work and in activism; her own children's community service work; her current community service work; the spirit of activism on campus (during her medical school years) as opposed to an earlier spirit of unrest; her treatment as an African-American as a medical student; the importance of expecting excellence of young people; assumptions made when people do see African-American role models in medicine; attracting attention as one of the few African-American medical students; the increase in the number of African-American medical students upon her return to the faculty in 1986; the slow nature of medicine to change due to length of schooling; Dr. Grace Kerby; being the second female in the department to be appointed a full professor, after Grace Kerby; Dr. Charles Johnson, early African-American faculty member; her field of gastroenterology; the few numbers of women in the specialty when she began; changes in this trend; common conditions in gastroenterology; patients who stand out in her mind; her enjoyment of the field; seeing patients over time; her husband staying at the VA Hospital over time; balancing family life; the importance of working towards this balance; creative ways she and her family have achieved this balance; her children's activities and accomplishments; managing over commitment; the importance of being an example to young people; her daughter finding some of the difficulties of volunteerism in complicated situations; her research in the past; her lack of time currently to do research; clinical research studies; her strong science background being a help in clinical research studies; the importance of understanding the clinical significance of statistical findings; the enjoyment of, but less time to do, teaching at Duke; being awarded the Trailblazers Award from the Student National Medical Association; her impact on the medical center; the desire that anyone can have access to medical education; her efforts to stress the importance of nondiscrimination; medical school dean Sanders Williams's actions to get more women and minority medical students at Duke; the importance of reaching children early; the importance of algebra; other women at Duke; the importance of receiving mentorship from other places if you don't see people who look like you around you; her inspiration coming from female family members; the male doctors who helped her; and the project for which the Duke Medicine Archives is interviewing her. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs, 2 use CDs, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Hilda P. Willett on May 21, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit
Duration: 01:53:21
Hilda P. Willett discusses her background; her siblings; her parents' emphasis on education; the lack of funding for higher education; scholarship; Georgia State College for Women; Dr. James Stokes's encouragement for further education; other career choices for women (teaching); the lack of finances for graduate school; Dr. David Tillerson (D. T.) Smith (chair of Duke Department of Microbiology); doing tuberculosis research for Dr. Smith; attaining the first PhD in the Department of Microbiology (1949); her faculty position in the department; the advancement of male members of department to full professorship; the resistance by male members of department that she become a full professor; Dr. Smith's protest of this unfair situation; the appointment, promotion, and tenure committee within her department; her own research on the tubercle bacillus; her discovery of why isoniazid worked; the new chairman of department; her small laboratory; her ceasing of research due to wishes of new chair; the directorship of graduate studies for the department; the awareness of lower salaries for women; women in clinical departments aware of this discrepancy; Mary Poston's role in the department; Mary Poston as the only female in the department; Dr. Willett as the only female in the department; name changes to the department; focus changes of the department due to scientific advancements; Dr. Joe Nevins; Mary Poston's clinical laboratory; having more women on main campus than in the medical center; her husband as a private practitioner in the community; her husband's help with the household; hiring help to take care of her children; her husband's practice in Raleigh; her commute; teaching; assigning lectures as course director; her own social strengths and weaknesses; research funded by the National Tuberculosis Association; presenting at conferences; her fear of flying; elaboration on her own research; Dr. Wolfgang Joklik's reliance on her; the character of Dr. Smith; Dr. Norman Conant; her major contributions in research; editorial contributions to editions of "Zinsser's Microbiology"; the largeness of the task of serving as co-editor of "Zinsser's Microbiology"; her parents; working during her college years; and working with graduate students. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs, 2 use CDs, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Catherine M. Wilfert on August 25, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 1:29:32
Wilfert discusses family support; her decision to become a physician; her medical degree from Harvard; the atmosphere for women at Harvard; the differences between the Harvard and Duke campuses; scientific collaborations on Duke campus; people in Department of Pediatrics; working with Dr. Rebecca Buckley on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever cases; practicalities of working in the lab; the welcoming nature of the Duke Pediatrics Department towards women; the names of important women in the medical center; her husband, Dr. Samuel Katz; the direction of Department of Pediatrics under Dr. Katz's leadership; institutional support for the Department of Pediatrics; differences between pediatric medicine and internal (adult) medicine; physicians' reactions to first hearing about AIDS in the 1980s; patients' deaths due to AIDS; Duke's involvement in clinical trials to treat AIDS; Dr. Dani Bolognesi; her own involvement in giving AZT to mothers; the dramatic reduction of newborn AIDS patients due to AZT use by infected mothers; publicity of the initial trial; controversies of the Thailand trial; her personal stand about early international trials with AZT; the entities responsible for international AZT trials; differences between treating patients in the United States and in developing countries; the dramatic decrease in newborn AIDS patients in United States; difficulties of treating AIDS patients in developing countries; the necessity of treating AIDS patients in developing countries, even by imperfect means; her personal passion for the cause of treating AIDS patients in developing countries; her work for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation; her retirement from Duke; the foundational support for her work; the need for financial support in the cause of fighting AIDS; countries on which she focuses the most; her travel schedule; working with national governments of developing countries; the status of pediatric AIDS in the United States; specific cases (not identified by name) that stand out to her; others who are in the fight against AIDS; what Westerners should know about the AIDS struggle in the developing world; dissatisfaction with current system of medical care delivery in the United States; her role as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases; and interactions with Dr. Katz as chief under his chairmanship. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs, 2 use CDs, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Frances K. Widmann on November 28, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 01:11:53
Frances K. Widmann discusses her background; her parents as physicians; marrying a physician; her mother as a female physician; her own interest in pathology; her work synthesizing the work of others in the "Technical Manual of the American Association of Blood Banks" and "Standards of the American Association of Blood Banks"; the importance to the field of these two volumes; medical school at Case Western Reserve; only small differences in the treatment between her and male medical students; coming to Chapel Hill in 1961 because of the availability of household help for families; being paid less than male members of the Department of Pathology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; coming to Duke in 1971; working at the Durham Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital as director of the blood bank; the relationship between the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital and Duke Hospital; the centralized nature of Durham Veterans Administration Hospital's laboratories as opposed to Duke's laboratories; running a blood bank; the necessity of testing for certain antibodies in the blood; the difference in patient population at the VA Hospital and at Duke Hospital; her residency years; household help; organizing her schedule to be with her family during her residency years; the chair of Duke's Department of Pathology gaining newfound respect for her work during his own illness; other women in the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital; the use of male-centered language in Department of Pathology at times; and the desire for medical culture to allow more freedom for non-work-related activities. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 1 master CD, 1 use CD, and 1 transcript.

Dr. Wicker speaks about her doctorate of adult education; thinking about Duke since leaving due to a restructuring layoff in 2000; her family background; her interest in becoming a nurse; attending Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing; diploma programs as prevalent at the time she received her education; the Lincoln program being available to African-Americans; the creativity within the Lincoln program since it was underfunded; the camaraderie in the program; Duke's involvement in the Lincoln program; working at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina; working towards her master's degree at North Carolina Memorial Hospital; being a black registered nurse [RN] when most other black nurses were licensed practical nurses [LPNs] and most other RNs were white women; physicians noticing her after the white LPNs because she was black; this being the impetus for her to attain her bachelor's degree in nursing; attaining a master's in nursing supervision; approaching Wilma Minnear [director of nursing services at Duke Hospital] in 1973 for a position; teaching at North Carolina Central University for a year; working at Duke as supervisor of the Outpatient Department; being the first African-American nursing supervisor at the hospital; her deep interest in staff development; supervising nurse managers; expectation that the nurse was the handmaiden to the physician; Dr. Wicker as trying to counter that expectation in those whom she supervised; programs she initiated as supervisor of the Outpatient Department; discovering that she had hired two union plants; supervising in the emergency room; a challenging person she supervised in the emergency room; the emergency room as not her area of expertise; Wilma Minnear asking her to be the supervisor of nursing services for Duke Hospital South; her original hesitation at the offer because of her small children at home; the internship program where interns could work with nurses; overlap at times between nursing services and Duke School of Nursing; the restructuring of hospital administration after Wilma Minnear left; Duke Hospital South as having more black nursing administrators and supervisors than Duke Hospital North; rumors of discontent about nurses at Duke Hospital South, and that discontent being trivial; the retreat about the reorganization of Duke Hospital North and South nursing leadership in Williamsburg, Virginia.; being more dictated to than asked for her opinion at the retreat; being asked to choose an assistant, but being told that her decision was not correct; writing a letter after being told that she could not make this decision; black nurses as not being able to obtain positions; a blue ribbon committee looking into this problem; her letter to the blue ribbon committee; her interactions with the blue ribbon committee; her work in creating the Hospital Career Development program; transitioning into a career development role; her excitement in that program; new administration not valuing the program; her being given a pink slip; her processing being given a pink slip after all her years of contribution to Duke; other contributions she had made to Duke; having no contact with Duke until the invitation to participate in the oral history interview; things she has done since leaving Duke; working on the history of Lincoln Hospital project; that project not being completed; changes in nursing; Brenda Nevidjon; wanting to have a conversation with Dr. Ralph Snyderman before leaving but being denied that opportunity; positives and negatives of Duke culture.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Ronald J. Weigel on May 29, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. Transcript is available.
Duration: 00:44:28
During the interview, Weigel discusses his early life, education, his decision to become a doctor, medical school and his PhD from Yale, his decision to pursue surgery, his decision to come to Duke for his residency, memories of Dr. Sabiston, experiences being a surgery intern at Duke, using Sabiston as his example for how to be a mentor, his experience being Sabiston's Chief Resident in 1992, how Sabiston supported African Americans and women in the Department of Surgery, how Sabiston interacted with patients, Sabiston's holiday parties, and his career after Duke.
Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), consent form (.PDF), and Bagger files (.TXT).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. James R. Urbaniak on November 6, 2018 by Dr. Justin Barr as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: Urbaniak 1: 00:37:56; Urbaniak 2: 00:12:32
In the November 6, 2018 interview, Urbaniak discusses his childhood, how he came to Duke, his experiences at Duke, orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, his time as the attending physician to the United States Congress and the Supreme Court during the Vietnam War, general surgery, Dr. David C. Sabiston, Dr. Lenox D. Baker, Dr. J. Leonard Goldner, hand surgery, microsurgery, and vascularized fibular grafts. Includes a master CD and transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Ross M. Ungerleider on July 22, 1994 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:45:00

During the interview, Ungerleider discusses his personal background, education and surgical training, research experiences at Duke and the research being done in his laboratory, the importance of the research work done in laboratories as a means to teach the next generation of doctors, building the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenator) Programs at Duke, and how Sabiston's leadership of the Department of Surgery created an environment that promoted academic surgery that attracted excellent residents. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape and 1 transcript.

Mrs. Tyor discusses coming to Duke; the dietetics program at Duke; being a relative of Dr. Deryl Hart; Elsie Martin, chief of dietetics program at Duke; the atmosphere at Duke; the Duke School of Medicine class of 1946; Dr. Malcolm P. Tyor; closeness of class of 1946; marriages to dieticians, student nurses, and student technicians in class of 1946; Dr. Eugene Stead's social events with house staff; the VA Hospital; Dr. Stead's thriftiness; Dr. Stead testing the knowledge of others; professional courtesy of the medical profession before insurance companies' involvement; the connectedness of the Duke network; the return of Tyors to Duke from Jacksonville, Fla., in 1955; women not working due to having families; Jean Estes (wife of Dr. E. Harvey Estes); having a large family; the community of Duke faculty families on Anderson Street; Dr. Walter Kempner; the diet kitchen; working as a student dietician; the kitchen in Duke Hospital North; teaching students dietetics; the creation of a male nutritionist program; entertaining as the wife of division chief; going to conferences as wife of division chief; the expectations of being a wife of a division chief; the competitive nature of wives in Duke hierarchy; the role of wives as supporters to faculty husbands; Ethel Wyngaarden; Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans; Purple Jesus [alcoholic beverage]; the town-gown atmosphere of Durham; Dr. William Anlyan's influence on Duke; Joseph Greenfield; and the feeling of closeness at Duke.

This oral history interview was conducted with Pat Thibodeau on March 28 and March 29, 2017 by Joseph O'Connell.
Duration

• March 28, 2017 - 1:18:50
• March 29, 2017 - 1:12:43

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Jean Spaulding on October 3, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 01:18:01
Spaulding discusses her family background; growing up in Michigan; the diverse community in Michigan; coming to the South; negative and prejudiced treatment in the South as an African-American; the lack of recognition of the Vietnam War in Duke Medical School; negative treatment from some in the medical school; the medical school not being affected by the undergraduate protests and takeovers taking place at the Allen Building due to racial issues; the segregation of donors' blood along racial lines; being the only African-American in Duke Medical School; negative statements made about her scholarship in her admissions interview because she was a woman; the prejudice of some of the professors at Duke Medical School; cross burning on her front lawn; her determination to stay and exercise her civil rights; her closeness with the other five women in the class; the attractiveness of psychiatry to her; the trust relationship between patients and doctors in psychiatry; Mary Ann Black; Dr. Spaulding and Ms. Black as the only African-Americans at the Child Guidance Clinic; the close relationship with Ms. Black; the Community Child Guidance Clinic; the atmosphere of the Duke Department of Psychiatry; Dr. Ewald Busse; Dr. H. Keith H. Brodie; the open nature of those at the Child Guidance Clinic; the joys of raising a family at same time as education and career; her pregnancy during medical school; taking time off to raise her first daughter; threats of the removal of her scholarship due to time off; the rescinding of threats when legal recourses were mentioned; the Biddle Foundation Scholarship; the opportunity to chair the Community Psychiatry Division; the decision to open a private practice instead; the predominance of female clientele in her practice; the particular stresses of that population to do everything; her own perspective as a person who accomplished many things simultaneously; balance in her life; her participation in the Women's Council for Duke; assisting Dr. Snyderman in developing the health system; the board of trustees of the Duke Endowment; what the presidential search committee saw in Dr. Nannerl Keohane; Duke's acquisition of Durham Regional Hospital; communication with Mary Ann Black at the time; Duke's relationship with the larger community; the view of Duke by some segments of African-Americans in the Durham community; Mary Semans; women and African-Americans whose names should be mentioned; Promising Practices; the development of initiatives for women at Duke Health System; females in positions of high leadership at Duke; Dr. Ralph Snyderman; role as trustee of Duke Endowment; her mother-in law, Elna Spaulding; her father-in-law, Asa Spaulding; and her daughters. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs, 2 use CDs, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted in two parts with Kevin W. Sowers on January 22, 2018 by Joseph O'Connell.
Duration:

• Part 1: 42:17
• Part 2: 43:46

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Ralph Snyderman on April 28, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:18:00

During the interview, Snyderman discusses the Department of Surgery at Duke and why it is a strong department; Dr. David C. Sabiston and his high expectations; comparisons and differences between Sabiston and Dr. Eugene Stead; research in the Department of Surgery and the importance of research; Sabiston's conception of what surgery is; Sabiston's ability to recruit people and secure funding; his belief that during his time, Sabiston ran the strongest academic department in the country; and Sabiston's leadership style. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Peter K. Smith on July 22, 1994 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:45:00

Smith discusses his personal background; how he came to Duke; his research interests; current research; funding for his laboratory; how he manages his commitments to his laboratory, clinical practice, and administrative duties; the structure of the Residency Program; working with Sabiston; the relationships between residents and faculty; Smith's experiences as a resident; the personal cost of residency; and how the 2 years of research, which is part of Duke Surgical Training, differentiates the program from all others.

This oral history interview was conducted with Jessie Parker Smith on June 13, 2022 by Patara Williams and transcribed by Josephine McRobbie. Smith's daughter, LaHoma Romocki, was also part of the conversation, and the interview was attended by Heather Lowe (Duke University) and Josephine McRobbie (audio engineer contractor).

Duration: 02:13:12

During the interview, Smith discusses the Durham School of Practical Nursing; African American nurses at Lincoln and Duke Hospitals; experiences interacting with white and Black colleagues; segregation of Duke Hospital facilities and the treatment of white patients; integration of Duke Hospital; care of Black patients with specialty care concerns at Duke Hospital; Smith's work in surgical, thoracic, cardiac, and other units; changes to services at hospitals over time; social activities organized by nurses like bowling, baseball, fashion shows, and racquetball; professional development activities and association; changes in nursing dress codes related to race; meeting her husband, Rev. Dr. Adolphus Smith in Duke Hospital; integration of UNC Hospitals; relationships with physicians and other colleagues, as well as Smith's friendship with LPN Louise Prince; Smith's experiences and perspectives of working as a nurse in regards to patient care; Smith's work with the North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurses Association; caring for her husband during illness; the work and culture of Licensed Practical Nursing throughout Smith's career; and administrative aspects of working for Duke such as the performance evaluation system. The themes of this interview include nursing, racial integration in healthcare, and professional development. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), consent form (PDF), consent form addendum (MSG), and TXT files.

This oral history was conducted with J. Michael Slaughter on November 6, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. Transcript is available.
Duration: 00:48:28
During the interview, Slaughter discusses his early life and education; memories of Dr. David and Agnes Sabiston; and working as the business manager for Duke Department of Surgery and all the duties that came along with that job, including managing payroll and planning all departmental social functions.
Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), consent form (.PDF), keywords and summary (DOCX), and Bagger files (.TXT).