Dr. Ralph Randal (Randy) Bollinger, MD, a surgeon who spent his entire professional career at Duke, was appointed to the surgery faculty in 1980 and appointed Chief of Transplantation in 1983. He was instrumental in the development of liver and pancreas transplantation, participating in the first liver transplant at Duke, and pioneering the technical, immunological, and logistical complexities of these burgeoning operations. This collection contains 2 oral history interviews conducted on July 21, 1994 and November 28, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. Both interviews are included in the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the July 21, 1994 interview Bollinger discusses his career as a surgeon, his research interests, and the work of his laboratory within the structure of the Department of Surgery. In the November 28, 1995 interview Bollinger discusses his work as Chief of the Division of General Surgery.
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.