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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. Philip H. Pearce on May 25, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.

Duration: 01:42:03

During the interview Pearce discusses beginnings of his interest in medicine; Air Force leadership coercing him to choose obstetrics and gynecology; medical school at Duke; residency at Duke; his rotation with Dr. Eleanor B. Easley; Easley starting a physician partnership with Dr. Richard Pearse (no relation) during World War II; Easley's hardworking nature; Easley's intelligence; Easley having to prove herself as a woman physician; the good reputation of the Durham Women's Clinic; Pearce's choice to join Durham Women's Clinic instead of staying at Duke; the partnership affiliation with Watts Hospital; partners' appointments at Duke Hospital; the eventual competitive relationship with Duke's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; some women choosing Durham Women's Clinic even when their health plan restricted them to Duke; Easley's business acumen; Pearse's lack of business acumen; Pearse's persona; Easley sometimes scolding Pearse; Pearse's expertise at hypnotism; other partners in the clinic using hypnosis, although not to as great effect as Pearse; Easley's relationships to patients; Easley's frankness with patients about health issues; Dr. Robert Ross; Easley advocating to the legislature for the legalization of safe abortions; Easley potentially performing abortions; Nancy Carreras, a nurse midwife hired by Easley; the practice's tendency to adopt progressive methods; Easley's tendency to adopt progressive methods; Easley as a speaker on sex education; the payment system at the Durham Women's Clinic set up by Easley; other partners in the clinic; Easley never having children in order to commit to her profession; her husband, Dr. Howard Easley; the Easley's donation of land to the Eno River Association; Easley's encouragement of young doctors; Easley's encountering opposition to abortion; working at Lincoln Hospital and the Salvation Army Home for unwed mothers; changes in the field; women as ob-gyn physicians; some people's confusion between Dr. Philip Pearce's name and Dr. Richard Pearse's.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Thomas A. D'Amico on May 28, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 00:35:11
During the interview, D'Amico discusses his educational background and how he became a doctor; his career in medicine; his residency at Duke in the Department of Surgery under Sabiston; his transition onto the faculty at Duke; his memories of Dr. David Sabiston from his time in residency as an extremely dedicated teacher, very punctual, teaching with a Socratic Method, and Sabiston's aphorisms. D'Amico also discusses Sabiston's efforts to include more women and people of color in the Department of Surgery, his national reputation, his demeanor, what he was like as a boss, and his experiences with Sabiston's wife and the department Christmas parties. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.WAV), and consent form (.PDF).

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).

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

This oral history interview was conducted with Nancy Allen on November 10, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry.

Duration: 01:15:02

Nancy Allen discusses her family background; medical education; women in science during time of her education; coming to Duke; her husband being accepted into Duke's PhD program; Dr. Ralph Snyderman as chief of Immunology; Dr. James Wyngaarden as chair of Department of Medicine; Dr. Wyngaarden's emphasis on bench research; her own preference for patient care above research; women in department in 1970s and 1980s; the treatment of females in the department; Dr. Joseph Greenfield as chair of Department of Medicine; support of Dr. Greenfield; her pregnancy; the lack of maternity leave policy in the department; the institution of her proposal for maternity leave in the department; her service on the university campus wide committee to implement maternity leave policy; the chairmanship of Department of Medicine Women's Committee; meeting with women in other medical departments about women's issues; women's networking and advocacy on campus; Dr. Rebecca Buckley's service on the otherwise all-male appointment, promotion, and tenure (APT) committee; her own service on advisory committee to Chancellor William Anlyan on women's issues; women of primarily Caucasian decent on these committees; the difficulty of salary comparisons in medical center due to income from patients; her clinical work as a rheumatologist; work in outreach clinics; patients (without identifying information) who stand out in her mind; high percentage of female patients in her practice; rewarding nature of rheumatology; academic council; Dr. Nannerl Keohane; her service as chair of academic council; Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Faculty Development position; other committees to advance the concerns of women on campus; women who might be important to remember; and the support of her husband, Dr. Barry Allen. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 2 master CDs, a use CD, and a transcript.

This oral history interview was conducted with Doris Howell on November 12, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 01:01:00
Dr. Doris Howell discusses her early background; medical school at McGill University; positive treatment in medical school; her initial desire to go into the field of psychiatry; her choice to go into pediatrics; the characterization of pediatric work; her internship at Children's Memorial Hospital in Montreal, Canada; her residency at Duke; the difference between styles of training in Canada and the United States; her more rigid style due to Canadian training; Dr. Bill DeMaria convincing her to change her style; her fellowship at Harvard with Dr. Lou Diamond; her field of pediatric hematology; the large numbers of leukemia patients in her work at Duke; growing the division to take care of these patients; being the only trained pediatric hematologist between Washington, New Orleans, and Miami; the immense patient load; training residents and fellows; many fellows being Middle Eastern; becoming the chair of Pediatrics at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania; being concerned about all-women's medical college; Dr. Susan Dees as a role model; pediatrics as a field easier for women to enter during her time; her positive treatment at Duke; awards; convincing the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania to become coeducational; being only female chair of pediatrics nationally; working briefly at the Association of American Medical Colleges; becoming the temporary chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego; the difficulty of being a chair in a field you have not trained in; her return to the field of pediatrics; the development of San Diego Hospice; San Diego Hospice as being an all-purpose hospice for all ages; staying involved; building a research fund for women's health; the difference between women's health issues and men's health issues; her working philosophy; not having biological children but caring for her patients; being engaged several times but being a female physician as complicating the relationships; her decision to stay single and commit her time to pediatric care; her advice to young female medical students; and her contentment with the life she has led. 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 Tasha Allen on November 18, 2022 by Josephine McRobbie as part of the Duke Midwifery Service and Durham Maternal Health Oral History Project, which was funded by The Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation Endowment Fund.

Duration: 00:57:23

During the interview, Allen discusses her early life as the child of a father in the Air Force; her education; early work as a Registered Nurse in pediatrics and as a school nurse; introduction to OB nursing at the Durham County Department of Public Health's Lincoln Community Health Center; the midwifery model of care; the Centering Pregnancy modality; public health nursing; developing a roadmap of resources; the Baby Love Program, now known as Maternal Support Services, which offers services to Medicaid eligible pregnant and postpartum clients; her passion for identifying resources and barriers to service; and the challenges of providing care to under-resourced communities. In this interview, Allen recalls a Centering activity where partners or other support people helped to paint a picture on the pregnant client's belly, describing expressive belly paintings that incorporated "big ol' UNC basketball logos" or "flowers and ballet slippers", and notes how this activity helped to bond parents to their upcoming arrivals. The themes of this interview include prenatal care, health education, and health disparities. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), consent form (PDF), an image (HEIC), and TXT files.

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.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Nancy C. Andrews on November 30, 2010 by Jessica Rosenberry. Transcript is available.
Duration: 37:55
In the November 30, 2010 interview Andrews discusses how dual degree (MD-PhD) is prevalent in deanship positions across the country; translational medicine; Duke's strength in translational medicine; her own research; the difference between what she experienced as a student and what a medical student would experience today at Duke; new learning center opening on Duke campus; financial aspects of the school of medicine and the health system; needs of both the clinical and basic sides of the medical campus; defining her leadership style; direction for school of medicine; study that was done on women in science at MIT in the late 1990s; what Duke is doing to combat the problems that might face women in science; Benjamin Reese of the Duke Office of Institutional Equity and some ways that equity might be achieved; strategies for women trying to achieve success in the sciences; and the uniqueness of this period in history. This interview was done as part of the Women in Duke Medicine oral history exhibit. Includes a master and use CD.

This oral history interview was conducted on November 30, 2018 by Dr. Justin Barr as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 01:48:29
Jones discusses his early life in Texas; medical school experiences; his residency at the University of Pennsylvania; research experience in gastrointestinal physiology; postdoctoral fellowship in Los Angeles with Morton Grossman at the VA Hospital; his first job at the VA Hospital at University of California, San Francisco; his experiences with Sabiston; the Duke residency program; his move to University of Virginia to become the department chair; his continued relationship with Sabiston; his accomplishments at Duke; and the corporatization of medicine. Includes Use CD and transcript. Digital files include transcript (.DOC), interview (.WAV), and consent form (.PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Bruce Schirmer on November 30, 2018 by Dr. Justin Barr as part of the Dr. Sabiston Oral History Program.
Duration: 00:43:13
Schimer discusses his experiences at Duke University School of Medicine and the Department of Surgery, his time as a practicing doctor at Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, his experiences with Sabiston, working in Dr. R. Scott Jones' lab, clinical experience, and key mentors at Duke.
Includes transcript and Use CD. Digital files include transcript (.DOC), interview (.WAV), and consent form (.PDF).

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 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).

This oral history interview was conducted with Jane S. Richardson on November 9, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 01:16:22
Jane S. Richardson discusses her background; her interest in astronomy; her interest in philosophy; working in the same lab where her husband, David Richardson, was getting his PhD; in 1969, the laboratory solving the structure of the Staphylococcal nuclease, the tenth protein structure to be determined; her enjoyment of being unknown; working as a technician in the laboratory; what the structure of a protein might tell about that protein; solving the crystal structure of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase at Duke; learning about the geometry of the active site of this enzyme; the significance of knowing the structure of proteins; X-ray crystallography as the technique used then and still used to solve protein structures; the current worldwide Protein Data Bank, which stores about fifty thousand protein structures; her work as a technician; working on computer models of proteins as early as 1960s; current work of the Richardson lab: building tools for determining and analyzing RNA structure; all-atom contact analysis; other people at Duke currently actively working on protein structure, although not the Richardson lab; Jane Richardson being most noted for ribbon drawings of proteins; ribbon drawings outlining the schematics of all known protein structures in 1980; she and her husband not being able to be in the same department due to nepotism rule at the time; creating a uniform set of conventions for the protein ribbon drawings; the freedom to do this work because she was "invisible"; Duke giving her tenure when she became a member of the National Academy of Sciences; common structures depicted in the ribbon drawings; subjectivity of representing protein structures because she outlined the conventions of the drawings; the ubiquitous nature of the ribbon drawings due to computer graphics; current use of the same conventions; her original method of drawing on top of a computer printout of a very simplified protein structure; the laboratory's invention of Kinemages, one of the first molecular graphics systems available on personal computers; the current size of the laboratory; Duke in the 1970s; Dr. Robert Hill; women as being "on the edges" of the department; her own unusual career track; not getting a PhD; this fact embarrassing the university once she became well-known; receiving a MacArthur Fellowship because of the ribbon drawings; her own circuitous route as being useful; the collaborative nature of her work with her husband; the difficulty in current scientific culture of collaborating, since the tenure emphasis is on receiving credit for something; change in the nepotism rule; pairs of scientists; the connectivity of the current field due to computers; pressure as one result of connectivity; and her enjoyment of having many female colleagues currently. 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.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Edward Halperin on October 10, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:46:44
Dr. Halperin discusses his family history, early life, medical education, the development of the field of radiation oncology, his career at Duke (including his work as vice dean of Duke University Medical School), Duke curricula reform, the creation of the medical master's in library science program, medical student suicides, his experiences with Dr. Snyderman, and research into the history of medicine. Includes a master and use CD and a digital transcript.

Dr. Fridovich speaks about his arrival in Duke University's Department of Biochemistry in 1952; Dr. Bernheim's reputation at the time for having discovered the amine oxidase; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for good teaching; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for writing abstracts for the publication Chemical Abstracts; the importance of Dr. Bernheim's discovery at the time; Dr. Bernheim's book, A Sky of My Own, about flying; Dr. Bernheim's interest in outdoor activities; the Bernheims housing an English child during World War II; the few women on the faculty; Dr. Bernheim's husband, Dr. Frederick Bernheim, and both of them being highly regarded scientifically; the founding chair of the department, Dr. William Perlzweig; women in the department over time; the field of biochemistry moving beyond Dr. Bernheim's discovery; Dr. Bernheim's donation of land to the Eno River Association; the physical space of the Department of Biochemistry upon his arrival; the growth of the department; Dr. Bernheim focusing more on teaching than research in her later years; Dr. Bernheim as always being called Molly, not Mary; flying as being important to Dr. Bernheim; the equipment that was used in the department in the 1950s; the equipment Dr. Bernheim might have used in her earliest years of research; Dr. Rebecca Buckley; national attention on Dr. Bernheim for her discovery; Dr. Bernheim's modesty; and the fading of that attention over the years.

This oral history interview was conducted with Stacey R. McCorison on October 12, 2021 by Josephine McRobbie.

Duration: 01:47:48

During the interview, McCorison discusses her early life in the Northeast, experiences with higher education, positions held within Duke University and the Duke University School of Medicine, contributions to the planning for the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education, as well as the her reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on medical education. The themes of this interview include educational access and choice, medical education, financial aid, and student support services. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.

This oral history interview was conducted with Tracy K. Gosselin on October 13, 2021 by Josephine McRobbie.

Duration: 01:41:23

During the interview, Gosselin discusses the responsibilities of her role as Chief Nursing & Patient Care Services Officer at Duke University Hospital; her role in patient experience and experiences with feedback during rounding; her background and education, joining Duke Hospital in 1993; her early career interests and view of nursing as profession; her recollections of learning on the job in terms of time management, cancer as a set of diseases, cancer treatment, and end of life care; continuity of care and streamlining of oncology services during her early career; the implementation of nursing model while Nursing Program Manager for Duke Radiation Oncology; her experiences as a student in University of Utah's College of Nursing virtual PhD program; her doctoral research in symptoms, quality of life, and emotional status in survivors of rectal cancer treatment; her experience teaching Oncology Nursing and Leadership in Duke University School of Nursing; her decision to aim for Chief Nurse position; her involvement with Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Cancer Center; the importance of senior leadership to make themselves available; research and education on bullying in the healthcare environment; workplace and safety mechanisms in Epic / Maestro Care; colleagues and mentorship; the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic; her work with the Duke Cancer Center and development of Oncology Patient Advisory Council; and her upcoming move to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as Senior Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive, and Chair of Nursing. The themes of this interview include nursing, nursing education, and healthcare leadership. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.