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Experiences as a 1948 graduate of the Duke University School of Nursing.

This oral history was conducted with Dr. Carl E. Ravin on May 20, 2019 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 00:51:26
During the interview, Ravin briefly discusses his early life, education, military service during the Vietnam War, and his early career as a chest radiologist; memories of Dr. David Sabiston including the time Sabiston would not greet him because he was not wearing a white coat, as well as how Sabiston negotiated behind the scenes and controlled the environment by setting an example of how he thought the environment should operate; becoming chair of the department of surgery and changes he made; writing a chapter on imaging for Sabiston's surgery textbook; how Sabiston created an atmosphere at Duke with a superb quality of care from top rate doctors that also heavily focused on academics; Sabiston's commitment to the institution of Duke; and Ravin's relationship with Sabiston after his retirement.
Digital files include transcript (.PDF), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).

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

This oral history was conducted with Dr. Fred A. Crawford on May 22, 2019 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. Transcript is available.
Duration: 00:49:09
During the interview, Crawford discusses his early life and education, his experience at Duke University and Duke University School of Medicine, working for Dr. Will C. Sealy, memories of Dr. David and Agnes Sabiston, his residency, leaving his residency at Duke to serve in the Army during the Vietnam War, and his career after Duke at the University of Mississippi and the Medical University of South Carolina as a thoracic surgeon.
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 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.

Duke Univeristy Medical Center History of Medicine Collection.

Dr. Pearce speaks about the 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. Easley; Dr. Easley starting a physician partnership with Dr. Richard Pearse (no relation) during World War II; Dr. Easley's hardworking nature; Dr. Easley's intelligence; Dr. Easley having to prove herself as a woman physician; the good reputation of the Durham Women's Clinic; Dr. 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; Dr. Easley's business acumen; Dr. Pearse's lack of business acumen; Dr. Pearse's persona; Dr. Easley sometimes scolding Dr. Pearse; Dr. Pearse's expertise at hypnotism; other partners in the clinic using hypnosis, although not to as great effect as Dr. Pearse; Dr. Easley's relationships to patients; Dr. Easley's frankness with patients about health issues; Dr. Robert Ross; Dr. Easley advocating to the legislature for the legalization of safe abortions; Dr. Easley potentially performing abortions; Nancy Carreras, a nurse midwife hired by Dr. Easley; the practice's tendency to adopt progressive methods; Dr. Easley's tendency to adopt progressive methods; Dr. Easley as a speaker on sex education; the payment system at the Durham Women's Clinic set up by Dr. Easley; other partners in the clinic; Dr. 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; Dr. Easley's encouragement of young doctors; Dr. 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. Pearce's name and Dr. Pearse's.

Dr. Keohane discusses the importance of the medical center to Duke University; the future importance of the medical center to Richard Brodhead as president; Keohane's view of the medical center as president of Duke University; crises in medical care due to managed care; Dr. Ralph Snyderman; Dr. Dan Tosteson; Jerome Grossman; reappointment of Dr. Ralph Snyderman; Dr. Bill Anylan; Dr. H. Keith H. Brodie; Bill Donelan; Fuqua School of Business; decentralized nature of medical center and university; need for more centralization; creation of the health system; health system in relationship to Duke as a whole; Private Diagnostic Clinics; personal constituencies; John Burness; Ad Hoc Governance Committee; Board of Trustees; committee's recommendations for clarification of the nature of the health system; Dr. Victor Dzau; Doris Duke; Dr. Wilburt Davison's relationship with Doris Duke; Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans; African Americans at the Medical Center; Jean Spaulding; Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership Initiative; MaryAnn Black; School of Nursing; Thelma Ingles; nature of Dr. Walter Campbell's book; organizational issues and political nature of Duke University Medical Center's organization; acquisitions and divestments of the Medical Center during managed care; vision of medical center during managed care; economic purpose behind divestments; WellPath; translational medicine; personal views of Dr. Ralph Snyderman's leadership.

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).