Search

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Worthington (Sandy) G. Schenk III on April 17, 2021 by Dr. Justin Barr as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:47:44

During the interview, Schenk discusses his early life and education; the impact his father's career as a surgeon had on him; why he decided to join the medical profession; how he came to Duke for his residency and fellowship; his research interests; his memories of Sabiston including his incredible memory, his Socratic teaching style, and the level of professionalism he expected from his residents; and recollections of the people he worked with at Duke during his residency and fellowship. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (M4A), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. John B. Hanks on April 17, 2021 by Dr. Justin Barr as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:10:16

During the interview, Hanks discusses his family; early life in Washington, DC; education; how he came to be a doctor and why he picked his specialty; how he came to Duke for his residency and fellowship; working under Sabiston as a resident and chief resident and his unrelenting perfectionism; his research at Duke; his relationship with Sabiston after he left Duke; other memories of Sabiston; and recollections of the people he worked with at Duke during his residency and fellowship. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (M4A), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Craig L. Slingluff Jr. on April 18, 2021 by Justin Barr as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:47:06

During the interview, Slingluff discusses his early life; education; why he decided to join the medical profession; how he came to Duke for his residency; his memories of Sabiston including personal interactions, "Monday Afternoon Conferences", and Sabiston's "tough love"; recollections of the people he worked with at Duke during his residency and research fellowship and the camaraderie that developed between them leading to the creation of the Baron Van Wassenaer Society; his research with Dr. Hilliard Seigler working on melanoma research and patients with his subsequent decision to go into surgical oncology; and how he ended up back at the University of Virginia as a member of their faculty. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (MP3), and consent form (PDF).

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Marilyn J. Telen on April 21, 2021 by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:08:12

During the interview, Telen discusses her path to medicine after a first career in nonfiction publishing, her relationship with mentors and research collaborators at Duke, and her thoughts on the history of women in medicine. The themes of this interview includes medical training, hematology, and academic medical research. 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. Robert (Bob) P. Drucker on April 22, 2022 by Josephine McRobbie.

Duration: 01:29:39 (MP3); 01:29:47 (WAV)

During the interview, Drucker discusses his background, work as an advisory dean, the impact of COVID-19 on medical education, and his experiences working in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases. The themes of this interview includes pediatrics, medical education, and careers in medicine. 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 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. Ann J. Brown on April 27, 2021 by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project.

Duration: 01:01:50

During the interview, Brown discusses her educational background, her development of a women's health series, importance of having women in leadership roles in academic medicine, leadership work within the Duke University School of Medicine, current conversations in academic medicine about work/life balance and appropriate work environments, and the impact of systemic bias on research into women's health. The themes of this interview include endocrinology, faculty affairs and development, and gender in medicine. Digital files include interview metadata and transcript (PDF), interview with stereo (WAV), interview with mono (MP3), an image (JPG), consent form (PDF), and TXT files.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Janet E. (Betsy) Tuttle-Newhall on April 29, 2020 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:54:27

During the interview, Tuttle-Newhall discusses her first interaction with Sabiston during her residency at the New England Deaconess Hospital, her fellowship at Duke with Dr. Pierre Clavien, her experience as faculty at Duke, her pregnancies and maternity leave during her tenure, and her professional experiences after she left Duke. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

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 Barbara Parnell on April 5, 2021 by Dr. Konstantinos Economopoulos as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.

Duration: 00:15:59

During the interview, Parnell discusses her direct memories of Sabiston including her first memory of him on his first day at Duke, as well as her memories of him while working as the Coordinator for the Sabiston Surgical Society; the type of work she did for Sabiston; his "protocol" for dress and appearance; his passion for education and patient care; his nickname of "The Man"; his reputation among the residents and the excellence he demanded; and his rose garden. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), interview (M4A), and consent form (PDF).

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 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 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. 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. Albert Heyman on December 18, 1985 by Dr. James Gifford.
Duration: 00:20:00
Albert Heyman discusses his research of Alzheimer's disease, beginning in the late-1970s, and the subsequent development of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Duke University Medical Center. He also discusses his collaboration with Lisa Gwyther and Allen Roses. Other people mentioned in the interview include Eugene Stead, Larry Thompson, Carl Eisdorfer, Seymour Crofferman, Charles Nemeroff, Harvey Cohen, and Donald Schmechel. Includes a master and use audio cassette tapes.

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.

Donna Allen Harris speaks about her background, primarily in Elizabeth City, North Carolina; the impetus for integrating the local high school being unknown to her; her being a part of the group that was going to integrate the local schools at various levels; the group dwindling to a small number, many of whom were in her family; her family's emphasis on education; her parents' insistence that she be part of the group to integrate the local high school as a sophomore; her desire to be with her friends instead; the difficulty of her three years at the high school; her memory of the first day walking into the school; the difficulty of the first few months and the first year; some of the actions of fellow students; the expectation from her community that she would do well academically; her loss of connection with her group of childhood friends because of the lack of contact; her sister integrating the junior high school; her being the only African-American student in her class; her desire to be alone sometimes as an adult as a result of that isolating experience; her being steered into nursing as one of the few options available to her; her satisfaction with nursing as a career; her feeling that the Duke University School of Nursing was training its graduates to go into nursing administration; her desire to be a hands-on nurse rather than to go into nursing administration; the ability of the Watts School of Nursing graduates to outfunction Duke University School of Nursing graduates in patient care; graduating in the same class as the Duke University School of Nursing dean, Dr. Catherine Gillis; sometimes feeling guilty about not going into nursing administration; her application to Fisk University and to the Duke University School of Nursing; her desire to go to Fisk to be with people more like her; her receiving a full scholarship to go to Duke; her choosing Duke for financial reasons, even though she knew she would once again be the first African-American; her sense of isolation at Duke; the other African-American students (university undergraduates) living on the other side of campus; her friendship with fellow nursing students in her class; those friendships being her solace; an incident in which she felt disappointed in a faculty member, after which she decided not to look to faculty members for support; receiving a wedding present from a faculty member; dating her future husband while being a nursing student; letting the friendship ties fall after graduation; going back to work at Duke; her previous declaration that she would not go back to Duke; her connection with friends but distrust of Duke as an institution; her nonparticipation in the 1969 student takeover of the Allen Building; her being a "middle-of-the-roader" as far as activism; her lack of memory about her sorority; not necessarily feeling community support at the time, but now not discounting that there might have been those who supported her; her first job after graduation from Duke and also being the only African-American RN there; how prepared she felt after her education at Duke; other jobs after graduation; her ultimate choice to go into public health nursing and it being a good fit for her; there not being much recognition of her being the first African-American nursing student to graduate from Duke; her blocking a lot of memories from nursing school; the 2007 Tea with Trailblazers being the first time she was really recognized for being the first African-American nursing student to graduate from Duke; now feeling a sense of accomplishment playing that role; and remembering those who have gone before her.