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This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Richard L. McCann conducted on April 29, 2020 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:55:15

During the interview, McCann discusses his early life; education; decision to enter the medical profession; how he came to Duke from Cornell; meeting Sabiston for the first at his interview to be a Resident; Sabiston's Monday Conferences and his teaching method, which was based on the Socratic method, as well as his inclusion of classical surgery into his Residents' learning; how Sabiston prioritized the Residents and the Department of Surgery above all else; Sabiston's traditions such as the Christmas Party, Lasagna Party, and Mint Julep Party; how Sabiston kept track of all his Residents and expected grant writing, conference presentations, and published articles; the dichotomy between Sabiston's southern upbringing and his progressive ideas on race and gender in surgery; and other memories of Sabiston and his wife, Aggie. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), Duke's death notice for McCann (DOCX), interview (MP3), consent form (JPG), and TXT files.

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 interview was conducted with James B. Wyngaarden on March 21, 2005 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:55.00
Wyngaarden discusses being recruited for the directorship of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); looking back at his chairmanship of the Department of Medicine; important aspects of the department under his chairmanship; Dr. Eugene Stead; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; his role on the board at the institute; some history of the institute; recruiting Dr. Ralph Snyderman to Duke; Wyngaarden's commitment to the concept of the physician-scientist; the status of the physician-scientist concept under President Richard Nixon; Wyngaarden's paper on the physician-scientist and that being the paper most associated with him; changes in the concept of the physician-scientist; role of the general practitioner at Duke; comments on Bayh-Dole and Technology Transfer Act; drug trials; the lack of contribution in genetics from Duke until the current time; the Human Genome Project when he was the director of NIH; his view of Genentech as the director of NIH; Snyderman's role as chancellor of Duke Medical Center; and Wyngaarden's continuing work in scientific fields since leaving the NIH. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape, 1 use audiocassette tape, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with James B. Wyngaarden on October 17, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:28.32
Wyngaarden discusses Dr. Grace Kerby's role in the Department of Medicine as created by Dr. Eugene Stead (managing house staff schedules); her continuation of that role under his chairmanship; the story passed down about Kerby saving the department's reputation upon her coming to Duke; Kerby's very no-nonsense demeanor; Kerby's lower payment (under Stead) as compared to male members of the department; Wyngaarden increasing her salary when he was chair; Kerby's scientific contributions being not as great as others in the department; very few other women being in the department; Kerby's primary contributions being in the organization of the house staff schedules; Kerby's avoidance of social situations; and Kerby's contributions as a hard worker. Includes 1 master CD, 1 use CD, and 1 transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. William C. DeVries on August 20, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 00:50:35
During the interview, DeVries discusses his education; work at the University of Utah School of Medicine with Dr. Willem Kolff on the artificial heart; how Kolff "loaned" him to Sabiston for his surgical residency at Duke; his surgical residency at Duke; memories of Sabiston including the time Sabiston sent him home because he dressed in the dark and accidentally put on different colored socks; learning about the importance of the pursuit of excellence of Sabsiton; building the cardiac surgery program at the University of Utah and VA Hospital; putting artificial hearts in animals; first patient to receive an artificial heart and the media frenzy; his move to Louisville, Kentucky, to work on artificial hearts at Humana; and other career related memories.
Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. James L. Cox on August 20, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:29:40

During the interview, Cox discusses his early life; education; decision to become a surgeon; how he came to Duke for his surgical residency; experiences with Sabiston as a surgical resident, faculty member, and mentor referring to Sabiston as the greatest surgical teacher that ever lived; how Sabiston shaped his research experience at Duke; Sabiston's impeccable bedside manner; leaving Duke for Washington University; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

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 Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans on July 27, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 1:41:06
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans speaks about her memories of what health care was like when she was a young woman; health care for her mother; the former chair of Medicine, Dr. Frederick Hanes; the Hanes family; her interest in, but not necessarily involvement with, the Duke Department of Psychiatry; Dr. H. Keith H. Brodie, former president of Duke University; Dr. Josiah Trent, her first husband; collecting medical history items; the preservation of rare books of this nature; Dr. Trent's appreciation for Duke; Dr. Trent working with conscientious objectors at Duke during WWII; her work in the Department of Social Services; Reba Hobgood, head of the department; socialization within the hospital; the Duke family's involvement with Lincoln Hospital, Durham's hospital for African-American patients; the integration of Lincoln Hospital and Watts Hospital, the hospital for Durham's white patients; the possibility that Dr. Wilburt Davison, former dean of Duke School of Medicine, would become president of Duke University; the relationship between Duke Medical Center and Duke University; Dr. Davison's involvement with the Duke Endowment; Dr. William Anlyan, former leader of Duke Medical Center; Dr. James Semans, her second husband; Dr. Semans's work with sexual dysfunction; Dr. Semans's work with the North Carolina School of the Arts; Dr. Semans's work with the Cultural Services program at Duke Hospital; Dr. John Dees; and Dr. Susan Dees. 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. Walter Randolph "Ranny" Chitwood Jr. on August 5, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 01:28:40
During the interview, Chitwood discusses early life, his undergraduate and medical school education, coming from a family of doctors, how he came to Duke for his residency, his residency at Duke, his memories of Sabiston, how Sabiston prepared residents to present, how Sabiston helped him make medical connections during a vacation to England, how Sabiston helped him move from Duke to East Carolina University after residency, interest in the history of medicine, involvement with the da Vinci Robot, and his medical career.
Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Mary Artley on December 13, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:21:27

During the interview, Artley discusses her early life; moving to Durham, North Carolina; her education; how she came to work for the Department of Surgery at Duke Hospital; her memories of working for the Department of Surgery; and her memories of Dr. David Sabiston from her time in the department. Artley did not interact with Sabiston much, as he never spoke to her and used his business manager, Mike Slaughter, as his liaison. The one time he asked her to do something for him, it was through Slaughter. Sabiston liked Artley's handwriting and asked for her to hand address his Christmas cards one year. Aside from that interaction, Artley found Sabiston intimidating from the stories she heard, how he treated his surgical residents, and how he often talked down to people and belittled them. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

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. Priya Kishnani on December 29, 2010 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 00:44:42
Kishnani discusses her family's background, particularly her mother's background as a physician in India; coming to the United States; medical genetics; Duke's strength in medical genetics; comparisons between medicine in the US and in India; Glycogen Storage Disease Type II, or Pompe disease; how she became involved with children with Pompe disease; Dr. Y. T. Chen; educating the medical establishment that children with Pompe disease could be treated; successes of the treatment; details of the treatment; setting up the clinical trials for Pompe disease; intensive nature of setting up the clinical trials for Pompe disease; commitment level of coordinating these trials; physicians in other countries giving treatment for Pompe disease locally; working with Genzyme Corporation to develop the drug used in treatment of Pompe disease; developing an appropriate relationship with industry when working in academic medicine; translational medicine; her work in trials with children with Down syndrome; treatment versus cure for Pompe disease and Down syndrome; center for treatment of rare diseases at Duke; special considerations for clinical trials for treatment of rare diseases; her continuing commitment to work with Pompe disease; and being a woman in medicine. Includes a master and a use CD.

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. Stuart J. Knechtle on February 18, 2020 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:52:19

During the interview, Knechtle discusses his educational background; how he decided to become a transplant surgeon; how he selected Duke for his residency; his experience as a surgical resident and chief at Duke under Sabiston; how Sabiston influenced and helped to shape his career in medicine by encouraging research, conference attendance, and making introductions to other surgeons; Sabiston's rules for dress, food, and drink as a means to establish discipline and professionalism; Sabiston's Christmas parties; Sabiston's interest in the history of surgery; and his warm memories of Sabiston and Sabiston's family. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Rebecca Buckley on February 19, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 01:23:00
Buckley discusses receiving her bachelor's degree at Duke; the difference between the men's college and the women's college at Duke; her growing interest in becoming a doctor; others' resistance to her going into medicine because she was female; experiences at University of North Carolina Medical School; her engagement and marriage; pregnancy and motherhood; pediatrics; allergy and immunology; encouragement from Dr. Susan Dees; the attractiveness of her specialty; remaining at Duke although passing the medical boards in Florida; the Department of Immunology; Dr. Bernard Amos; Dr. Susan Dees's contributions to Duke; severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID); bone marrow transplants for children with SCID through removal of donor T-cells, including its development and her own research on it; the success rates of transplants for SCID patients; the difficulty of determining how common SCID is due to lack of newborn screening; her advocacy for newborn screening for SCID; the expense of early screening of SCID versus nonscreening; the avenues for her advocacy for newborn screening; her desire for screening of other defects similar to SCID; her research on SCID chimeras (people with living parts from a another person inside them); transplantations done by fellows; the few women faculty at the time she began in Immunology; being the "token woman" on medical center committees; the realization in the 1970s that more and more women were applying to medical schools; joining the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics; becoming division chief of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics; the less lucrative nature of pediatrics; not meeting with resistance as division chief; not being a "women's libber"; other women on the faculty at Duke; her advice to young medical students; work-family balance; the commonalities between her husband's work and her work; her election to Institute of Medicine; the William G. Anlyan Lifetime Achievement Award; Dr. James D. Sidbury; Dr. Samuel Katz; Dr. Catherine Wilfert; changes in her field; changes at Duke; Buckley's Syndrome; the Duke Immune Deficiency Foundation Center of Excellence; tests for discovering immunodeficient patients; patients; and working with patients long term. 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 a transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Susan Clayton on February 21, 2022 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:50:32

During the interview, Clayton discusses her background; becoming a single parent and having to find work to support her two young daughters; getting hired as a Staff Assistant in the Department of Surgery and later discovering she was the only applicant because of Sabiston's reputation; Sabiston's high expectations of the office staff and all people who worked for him, which lead to a high turnover rate; her experiences as the Residency Coordinator; the supportive nature of the Department of Surgery office staff; details of her roles in the Department of Surgery and other Staff Assistants; having to work three Saturdays a month; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Rodger A. Liddle on February 24, 2021 by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:12:42

During the interview, Liddle discusses his research in measuring CCK (cholecystokinin, a gut hormone) levels, his thoughts on connections between enteroendocrine cells and the nervous system, and conducting laboratory research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes of this interview includes gastroenterology, academic medical research, the social life of medicine, and medical training. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), images (JPG), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Layton F. Rikkers on February 25, 2020 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:22:04

During the interview, Rikkers discusses his career; how he chose to become a surgeon; his great admiration of Sabiston; taking over the editorship of "Annals of Surgery" from Sabiston including meeting Sabiston for an interview for the position, the changes he implemented, and how Sabiston's wife, Agnes, packed up and shipped all the "Annals of Surgery" materials after Sabiston's stroke to send to Rikkers in Wisconsin so he could start working on it immediately; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

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. Peter K. Smith on January 3, 1996 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:28:00

Smith discusses how he came to be Chief of Thoracic Surgery; how the Division of Thoracic Surgery evolved and split off from the Division of General and Thoracic Surgery and why Sabiston made this change; the Residency Training Program and the changes from the separation of the divisions; research activity within the division; and how Sabiston was responsible for the growth of individual labs for surgeons at Duke and the outcomes and consequences of this decision.

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 Dr. John Palmer Grant on July 12, 1994 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:38:00

During the interview, Grant discusses his background; how he became a surgeon; how he came to Duke; his involvement with nutritional support of surgical and medical patients; his involvement with the Surgical Nutrition Research Laboratory, starting intravenous feeding at Duke, and how the laboratory is funded; research pertaining the laboratory on overeating, weight loss surgery, and the effects of arginine supplementation and glutamine supplementation to intravenous feeding; Dr. David Sabiston's reputation and the Department of Surgery at Duke. 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.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Wolfe G. Wolfe on June 5, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. Also present for the interview were Jackie Wolfe, Ethel Atkins, and Zane Atkins.

Duration: 01:03:11

During the interview, Wolfe discusses his early life; education; why he decided to go to medical school and become a surgeon; why he stayed at Duke for his residency and stay after the completion of his surgical training; his different roles during his long career at Duke including becoming the Program Director of the Thoracic Residency Program at Duke and the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Durham Veteran's Administration Medical Center; what Sabiston was like as a boss; Sabiston's administration style; what it was like to be a surgery resident at Duke and what made the program under Sabiston so successful; Wolfe bringing in the first female resident, Kim Grady, to the Thoracic Residency Program he oversaw; Sabiston's national reputation; how Sabiston influenced Wolfe's research experience during his residency; Sabiston's rules; and other memories of Sabiston. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Ralph Randal (Randy) Bollinger on July 21, 1994 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:32:00

Bollinger discusses his background, particularly as it pertains to his career in surgery, his research interests, and how he came to Duke; his experiences completing his internship and residency at Duke; the research he did in the Air Force; what differentiates the Duke Surgery Program from other programs; how the standards of the residency program affect marriages, relationships, and person lives; his research laboratory at Duke and how that research relates to his clinical work; and Sabiston's role as Chairman and leader.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Ralph Randal (Randy) Bollinger on November 28, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. It is included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:45:00

Bollinger discusses the years he spend as a Surgery Resident at Duke under Sabiston; explains what the term "general surgery" means; why general and thoracic surgery were combined and separated later; the difference between academic surgery and private practice; why the number of procedures students are involved in have increased; changes to the surgery residency program over the years and the overall structure of this residency program; the long work hours of residency; the definition of the administrative category of a Division, the research activities a Division undertakes, and how all of this is handled on an administrative level; how the use of research laboratories has grown in the field of surgery and changed over time; and how patients have changed in general surgery over his career.