This oral history interview was conducted with John Robinette on October 22, 2019 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 01:24:37
During the interview, Robinette discusses his education; career at Duke, starting as an administrative assistant for Dr. William Anlyan and eventually moving into the role of a hospital administrator working with Sabiston closely on operating rooms; his experiences building the new Duke Hospital; working with Sabiston in the role of an administrator; the history of the Private Diagnostic Clinic (PDC) and its importance to Sabiston and Duke University; Sabiston's culture as one high standards, high work ethic, and fairness; changes implemented by Sabiston such as separate lounges for doctors, residents, nurses, housekeeping, etc., private hospital rooms, and relaxing visiting hours; the importance of academics and research in the surgical program to Sabiston; the corporatization of hospitals; memories of Dr. Joseph Greenfield; and personal memories of Sabiston and his wife Aggie. Digital files include transcript (.DOCX), interview (.MP3), and consent form (.PDF).