This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Richard L. McCann conducted on April 29, 2020 by Taylor Patterson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project.
Duration: 00:55:15
During the interview, McCann discusses his early life; education; decision to enter the medical profession; how he came to Duke from Cornell; meeting Sabiston for the first at his interview to be a Resident; Sabiston's Monday Conferences and his teaching method, which was based on the Socratic method, as well as his inclusion of classical surgery into his Residents' learning; how Sabiston prioritized the Residents and the Department of Surgery above all else; Sabiston's traditions such as the Christmas Party, Lasagna Party, and Mint Julep Party; how Sabiston kept track of all his Residents and expected grant writing, conference presentations, and published articles; the dichotomy between Sabiston's southern upbringing and his progressive ideas on race and gender in surgery; and other memories of Sabiston and his wife, Aggie. Digital files include transcript (DOCX), Duke's death notice for McCann (DOCX), interview (MP3), consent form (JPG), and TXT files.