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This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. James M. Douglas on February 1, 2022 by Konstantinos Economopoulos as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:33:05

During the interview, Douglas discusses his early life; education; why wanted to become a surgeon; his interest in music; how he came to complete his residency at Duke; what it was like to be the first African American to complete a surgery residency at Duke; what it was like to be a surgery resident under Sabiston including Sabiston's militaristic discipline and the different way he treated medical students from surgery residents--especially the surgery chief resident; the overall experience of being a surgery intern at Duke; Sabiston's incredible work ethic; what Sabiston taught Douglas; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (M4A), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. J. Leonard Goldner on March 15, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:37:00 [Tape 1: 01:30:00; Tape 2: 00:07:00]

During the interview, Goldner discusses his professional background; how he came to enter the profession of medicine and surgery; specific influences and/or experiences that led him to orthopedics; how he came to Duke; details about the Department of Surgery such as how it was organized, who the key personalities were, and how they interacted to accomplish departmental business; memories and experiences with Dr. Deryl Hart, Dr. Clarence Gardner, and Dr. David Sabiston; the Private Diagnostic Clinic; the evolution of his research career; and funding through the National Institutes of Health. Includes 2 master audiocassette tapes and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Gordon Hammes on April 3, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:35:00

During the interview, Hammes discusses his background, education, and how he chose the direction of his career; his mentors; his career in biochemistry; his time as Vice Chancellor at Duke; the connection between the Medical Center and University at Duke; the importance of being an editor for scientific journals; the construction of the Medical Sciences Research Building; and his impressions of the Department of Surgery and Dr. David Sabiston. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. L. Scott Levin on December 14, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:30:00

Dr. L. Scott Levin reflects on his education; career; mentors; the history of the Department of Surgery and Division of Plastic Surgery at Duke; his interest in microsurgery, hand surgery, and othoplastic extremity reconstruction (limb salvage); how the residency program has changed over time; his experiences in the Division of Plastic Surgery; and his memories of Sabiston including his leadership style, legacy to Duke and the profession of surgery, and his work ethic.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Merel H. Harmel on April 24, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:59:00

During the interview, Harmel discusses his personal background and how he chose a career in anesthesiology; the development of anesthesiology departments, Harmel's involvement in the creation of numerous anesthesiology departments, and his involvement in the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke; his relationship with Sabiston, Sabiston's reputation, how Sabiston came to Duke, Harmel's perspective on how Sabiston developed and influenced the Department of Surgery, and his successes at securing NIH funding; Harmel's goals for the Department of Anesthesiology when first came to Duke and built a residency program; and how closely surgeons and anesthesiologists work together. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Daniel Blazer on January 28, 2005 by Jessica Roseberry.

Duration: 00:45:00

During the interview, Blazer discusses his initial interest in psychiatry; coming to Duke; the eclectic nature of the Duke Department of Psychiatry when he came; changes in the field in regards to length of hospital stays; national social psychiatry trends; his interest in social epidemiology; community and family medicine's role in social epidemiology; the Department of Psychiatry's integration into the work of other departments, when he first came to the department; the current isolation of department from the other departments; the economic factors in current-day medical culture; the chairs of the Department of Psychiatry, including himself as an interim chair; the history of the deanship of the medical school; his focus as dean; Dr. Snyderman's vision as chancellor; Dr. Snyderman's style as an administrator; the lack of emphasis on the clinical side; Duke's strength in eclecticism; and challenges for the future. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape, 1 use audiocassette tape, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Joseph (Jerry) G. Reves on July 30, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:38:00

During the interview, Reves discusses his education; how he became interested in a career in medicine after thinking he would become an attorney; how he came to Duke; his first interaction with Sabiston during his interview; Sabiston's unwavering support for research; his many positions at Duke; leaving Duke for MUSC, Sabiston's leadership and how Duke benefited enormously from Sabiston, and his memories of his professional relationship with Sabiston, as well as their personal friendship. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.

This oral history interview was conducted with William J. Donelan on March 10, 2020 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 00:49:39
During the interview, Donelan discusses his early life; educational background; his professional career path at Duke, where he started in 1969 as an insurance office supervisor in the medical private diagnostic clinic; the business administration side Duke's transformation into a premier academic hospital; the growth of Duke University Medical Center; the early days of Duke Hospital North; becoming Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Hospital; his relationship Sabiston; how Sabiston tried to recruit him as the business manager for the Department of Surgery; and Sabiston's legacy at Duke. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

History of the Duke University Medical Center Library.

Dr. Brundage's career; Duke University School of Nursing; deanship

Pugh-Myers' recollections of her days as a member of the first class of practical nurses at Duke Hosptial, 1949; working as an African-American practical nurse at Duke and beyond.

This oral history interview was conducted with Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans on August 2, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 1:47:10
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans discusses Dr. Susan Dees; her friendship with Dr. Dees; Dr. Dees introducing Semans to her] second husband, Dr. Jim Semans; little time for socializing in the medical center; Dr. Dees's success as both a physician and in her private life; changes in the field of medicine for females; other women at the medical center that Semans remembers during this time [circa 1940s and 1950s]; Mrs. Elizabeth Swett, wife of Dr. Frances Swett; Mrs. Swett's influence with the residents' wives; the Nearly New Shoppe founded by faculty wives; Mrs. Bayard Carter; Mrs. Elizabeth Hanes, wife of Dr. Frederick Hanes; Mrs. Mary Hart, wife of Dr. J. Deryl Hart; nonphysican females at Duke Hospital, such as Mary Poston, fitting in to the hospital culture; the social expectation of physicians' wives to entertain; Dr. Eleanor Easley; Dr. Easley as her ob-gyn physician; the characterization of women in the early days of Duke Medicine; Duke as slow to increase the numbers of women; other women about whom she has less knowledge; Reba Hobgood in social services; Drs. Wilburt and Atala Davison; Dr. Ruth Martin; Dr. Violet Turner; Dr. Barbara Newborg; Dr. Jean Spaulding; Elna Spaulding; Dr. Evelyn Schmidt; Mary Ann Black; trends in women's health; other women; the family feeling of Duke in the early years of the medical school; health care she has received at Duke; and her daughter as a physician. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs and 2 use CDs.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Edward Halperin on May 29, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:47:51
Dr. Halperin discusses Duke Medicine's beginnings as a coeducational institution; Duke as influenced by the Abraham Flexner Report on medicine; Flexner as supportive of women's medical education; Duke's initial faculty as being from the coeducational institution, Johns Hopkins; Sir William Osler (an important influence on Wilburt Davison, the first dean of Duke Medical School) as favoring medical education for women; Dr. Davison's thoughts on this matter as being unknown to Dr. Halperin; Bessie Baker as the first dean of the Duke School of Nursing; stratifications of nursing by race; the building of Lincoln Community Hospital; Dr. Susan Dees; women's roles in medicine in the 1950s; Dorothy Beard assisting her husband Dr. Joseph Beard in his laboratory; Dr. Halperin as a one-time physician to Dorothy Beard in her later years; Bess Cebe, administrative assistant to former Department of Medicine chair, Dr. Eugene Stead; women physicians typically being only in certain specialties in earlier times; Dr. Grace Kerby; specialties women were more involved in; Susan Lowenthal, an early resident in psychiatry; culture for women medical students; pornographic images of women used in an anatomy text produced by three Duke professors in the late 1960s and early 1970s; the national boycott of the book; changes in medical culture for women over time; policies at Duke to change the culture for women in medicine; his own role in setting up an adoption leave policy; his establishment of the Butler-Harris chair in the Division of Radiation-Oncology, which can only be held by a woman or minority; Dr. Sara Dent, anesthesiologist; Zelda Fitzgerald as a patient at Duke-owned Highland Hospital; and Mary Semans. Includes a master and use CD and an analog and electronic transcript. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Nancy B. Allen on June 1, 2020 by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:46:21 (full interview)

Duration: 00:10:51 (Voices of Medicine podcast with interview highlights)

During the interview, Allen discusses her early life, interest in medicine, summer jobs in medical labs, medical education at the Medical College of Virginia and Tufts, medical residency and fellowship at Duke, work in outreach clinics around North Carolina, Duke administrative and committee work, and her experiences preparing for retirement during the Spring 2020 emergence of COVID-19. The themes of this interview include the development of the treatment of rheumatic conditions, medical training and career advancement, and clinical work in outreach settings. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), Voices of Medicine podcast with interview highlights (WAV), image (JPEG), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.

This oral history interview was conducted with Sezer Aksel on September 13, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 00:43:32
Sezer Aksel discusses her background in Turkey; her desire to become a physician even against her family's desires; coming to Duke Medical School; the difficulty understanding Southern accents; the friendly atmosphere at Duke; completing premedical courses at Duke; the new curriculum at Duke Medical School; her interest in physiology and endocrinology; her second year of residency at Johns Hopkins; women in her medical school class; the busy residency schedule at Duke; dressing facilities in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; working twice as hard initially to gain men's respect; her acceptance from the faculty of her department; the reputation of Dr. Eleanor Easley in the department; previous female interns in the department having a difficult time and leaving Duke; support from the nursing staff in the department; support from the department chair, Dr. Roy Parker; the supposition among some in the department that women patients did not like to see female doctors for ob-gyn care and Dr. Aksel's experiences to the contrary; the first baby delivered; endocrinology; endocrinology-related surgical procedures; laparoscopy; the length of residency determined by the department chair; operating as a resident; learning by doing; the growth of department; females who joined the residency in the department after she came; changes due to more females; the male-dominated nature of dressing facilities in department; job opportunities after finishing residency; and establishing the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of South Alabama. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape, 1 master and 1 use CD, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Alejandro Barbagelata on March 26, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:27:08
Barbagelata discusses the Duke Cardiovascular Databank and subsequent variations at Favalaro Clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Includes a master and use CD. A digital version of transcript is available.

This oral history was conducted with Dr. Robert M. Califf on June 11, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry. Transcript is available.
Duration: 01:06:53
In the June 11, 2007 interview, Califf, then the vice chancellor for clinical research and the director of Duke Translational Medicine Institute, discusses how he got into the field of cardiology, his work at the cardiology databank, early days of computing, medical school at Duke University, experiences working at Duke, and the evolution of the databank into the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). Includes a master CD and a use CD.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Wolfgang Joklik on May 16, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 01:16:22
Joklik discusses his education in Australia and England, his career at Duke in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology as well as efforts to increase the employment of women in the department, his research in molecular virology, and the creation of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Duke. He also discusses the lives and careers of several of his colleagues at Duke, including pediatrics and microbiology specialist Catherine Wilfert and virology researchers Joe and Dorothy Beard.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Samuel Katz on May 10, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry. The transcription of this interview was funded by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation.
Duration: 01:09:44
Katz discusses his preference of the term chair versus chairman of the Department of Pediatrics in order to be inclusive of female department chairs; the nature of the Department of Pediatrics when he first arrived as chair in 1968; former Department of Pediatrics chairs Dr. Jerome Harris and Dr. Wilburt Davison; Dean Wilburt Davison's view of the department; research in the department upon Katz's arrival; the department's relationship to other departments in the medical school; comparisons to Harvard's campus; Dr. Harris's relationship with the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine; pediatric cardiologist Dr. Madison Spach; the less prominent position of the Department of Pediatrics upon his arrival; Department of Immunology chair, Dr. William Joklik; his own efforts to bring the Department of Pediatrics into a place of more prominence; women [one full time and one half time] in the department upon his arrival; Dr. Susan Dees; Dr. Davison's nonpayment of Susan Dees because her husband, Dr. John Dees, received a salary from the medical center; Dr. Shirley Osterhout as being a half-time employee in the Department of Pediatrics and a half-time employee as director of the Poison Control Center; the reputation of Dr. Rebecca Buckley before he arrived; Dr. Rebecca Buckley in the Department of Immunology; the recruitment of Dr. Buckley to the Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Dees's reputation and intellectual prowess; Dr. Susan Dees as a smoker; Dr. Shirley Osterhout as the leader of the Poison Control Center; Dr. Buckley's research on babies with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency; Dr. Buckley's international reputation; the small number of women in departments during the time of his arrival; women in other medical schools; the arrival of Dr. Catherine Wilfert; the four women in the Department of Pediatrics having husbands and children; Dr. Catherine Wilfert's national distinction; his marriage to Dr. Wilfert and their keeping separate names; Dr. Lois Pounds; Dr. Tim Oliver; the marriage of Dr. Pounds and Dr. Oliver; Dr. Pounds in the admissions department; women in the admissions department; pediatricians in the admissions department; Dr. Deborah Kredich in the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Wilfert's interaction with his alma mater, Harvard, about the admission of women to Harvard Medical School; the group of medical students in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology working militantly to equalize the gender gap in the department and in medicine in general; his suggestions of names of female department chairs upon his retirement; women in the Department of Pediatrics who actively promoted women's issues; his own advocacy for women's issues; difficulties for women; Dr. Phyllis Lephert; appointment and tenure decisions; the current Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure committee; pediatrics as seen as more of a women's specialty; Dr. Doris Howell; women and research; women clinicians in the Department of Pediatrics; female doctors married to male doctors in the Medical Center; other considerations pertaining to his and Dr. Wilfert's marriage; Dr. Brenda Armstrong; maternity leave; actively trying to give women a place in the Department of Pediatrics; aspects of a good pediatrician; and his own work, especially vaccines internationally. Includes a master and use CD and a transcript..

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.