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Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology.

This oral history interview was conducted with Jane S. Richardson on November 9, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 01:16:22
Jane S. Richardson discusses her background; her interest in astronomy; her interest in philosophy; working in the same lab where her husband, David Richardson, was getting his PhD; in 1969, the laboratory solving the structure of the Staphylococcal nuclease, the tenth protein structure to be determined; her enjoyment of being unknown; working as a technician in the laboratory; what the structure of a protein might tell about that protein; solving the crystal structure of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase at Duke; learning about the geometry of the active site of this enzyme; the significance of knowing the structure of proteins; X-ray crystallography as the technique used then and still used to solve protein structures; the current worldwide Protein Data Bank, which stores about fifty thousand protein structures; her work as a technician; working on computer models of proteins as early as 1960s; current work of the Richardson lab: building tools for determining and analyzing RNA structure; all-atom contact analysis; other people at Duke currently actively working on protein structure, although not the Richardson lab; Jane Richardson being most noted for ribbon drawings of proteins; ribbon drawings outlining the schematics of all known protein structures in 1980; she and her husband not being able to be in the same department due to nepotism rule at the time; creating a uniform set of conventions for the protein ribbon drawings; the freedom to do this work because she was "invisible"; Duke giving her tenure when she became a member of the National Academy of Sciences; common structures depicted in the ribbon drawings; subjectivity of representing protein structures because she outlined the conventions of the drawings; the ubiquitous nature of the ribbon drawings due to computer graphics; current use of the same conventions; her original method of drawing on top of a computer printout of a very simplified protein structure; the laboratory's invention of Kinemages, one of the first molecular graphics systems available on personal computers; the current size of the laboratory; Duke in the 1970s; Dr. Robert Hill; women as being "on the edges" of the department; her own unusual career track; not getting a PhD; this fact embarrassing the university once she became well-known; receiving a MacArthur Fellowship because of the ribbon drawings; her own circuitous route as being useful; the collaborative nature of her work with her husband; the difficulty in current scientific culture of collaborating, since the tenure emphasis is on receiving credit for something; change in the nepotism rule; pairs of scientists; the connectivity of the current field due to computers; pressure as one result of connectivity; and her enjoyment of having many female colleagues currently. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 1 master CD, 1 use CD, and 1 transcript.

Dr. Carter discusses his decision to enter pharmacy, and exploring the changes in the pharmaceutical field he has experienced in the two decades of his career; what a job as a clinical staff pharmacist entails; the transition from inpatient to outpatient pharmacy; informatics in pharmacy; technological advances; conflict with health insurance policies; and changes in health procedures and future policy overhauls.

Dr. Fridovich speaks about his arrival in Duke University's Department of Biochemistry in 1952; Dr. Bernheim's reputation at the time for having discovered the amine oxidase; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for good teaching; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for writing abstracts for the publication Chemical Abstracts; the importance of Dr. Bernheim's discovery at the time; Dr. Bernheim's book, A Sky of My Own, about flying; Dr. Bernheim's interest in outdoor activities; the Bernheims housing an English child during World War II; the few women on the faculty; Dr. Bernheim's husband, Dr. Frederick Bernheim, and both of them being highly regarded scientifically; the founding chair of the department, Dr. William Perlzweig; women in the department over time; the field of biochemistry moving beyond Dr. Bernheim's discovery; Dr. Bernheim's donation of land to the Eno River Association; the physical space of the Department of Biochemistry upon his arrival; the growth of the department; Dr. Bernheim focusing more on teaching than research in her later years; Dr. Bernheim as always being called Molly, not Mary; flying as being important to Dr. Bernheim; the equipment that was used in the department in the 1950s; the equipment Dr. Bernheim might have used in her earliest years of research; Dr. Rebecca Buckley; national attention on Dr. Bernheim for her discovery; Dr. Bernheim's modesty; and the fading of that attention over the years.

Dr. Feagin's history; history of the Medical Center Library; Dean Davison.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Mary E. Klotman on October 21, 2010 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 00:59:09
Klotman discusses coming to Duke as an undergraduate in the 1970s; the Duke Department of Medicine from her perspective as a student; the chair of the department when she was a resident; Dr. Joseph Greenfield as subsequent chair of the department; conversation with Dr. Greenfield about her future career path; desire to become a physician-scientist; developing skills to achieve that goal; going to work at the National Institutes of Health; working at Mount Sinai Medical Center; with her husband, putting together the kind of program at Mount Sinai that existed at Duke; becoming an administrator in order to make an impact; her view of the chairmanship since beginning the job of chair of the Department of Medicine seven months prior; communications within such a large department; partnerships that the Department of Medicine has developed; directions the health system is moving in; funding for the department; funding for the partners of the Department of Medicine; being a female department chair; family support; and Dean Nancy Andrews. Includes a master and use CD.

Dr. St. Geme talks about his family, teaching, research, and his career as a practicing pediatrician. He also talks about playing football for Stanford and its impact on his education.

Dr. Frush talks about what she has done so far in her career. Dr. Frush started as a nurse, which she was for a year, but quickly went into medical school at Duke to become a pediatrician. Her desire to have a family influenced her decision to become a nurse, but then when a family wasn't in the near future she decided to become a doctor. She now has a family and medical degree, without the conflicts she expected. She also talks about how nurses and doctors must work as a team to ensure patient safety.

Ms. Robinson she discusses how she got into the physician assistant field and why she has stayed in it. She also explains the roles and responsibilities of the physician assistant in today's hospitals and how she operates here at Duke. In this context, she also elaborates on what it takes to make a good physician assistant, and how Duke is training physician assistants to have these skills. With regards to the job of physician assistant, she discusses some of the history of the field, the current state and the potential future of the physician assistant as a major source of primary care. Finally, in regards to her interest in obesity and family care, she expresses her concern over the changes in the demographics and spread of obesity she has observed during her career.

Dr. White chronicles her career as a physician and as an academic dean. She also talks about her effor to balance her work and her family life.

Dr. Berlin speaks about his background; his enrollment at Duke University as an accelerated wartime student; continuing his education after serving in the military in Japan; his enrollment at Duke University School of Medicine; his internship and residency; his return to Savannah; serving as team doctor for college teams and for the Savannah Braves, the local high school baseball team; his return to Duke in 1979; reasons for coming to Duke; his parents' emigration to America; his impressions of Duke; his impressions at the time of the controversy about the replacement of Duke president Robert Flowers with Holliss Edens; his Jewish heritage not being a problem at Duke; his father's interaction with a dean who made prejudiced remarks to him; he and his roommate choosing not to enter a Jewish fraternity on campus; his social life on campus; meeting his wife in the Duke choir; his wife working at Liggett and Myers while he completed his residency; his role in the war; his decision at this time to be a doctor; his choice not to go to the University of Georgia School of Medicine because of the competitive atmosphere among medical students; the "whispered" quota of Jewish students in the medical school; the curriculum during his medical school days; the camaraderie among medical students; his internship at Duke; working with Dr. Eugene Stead; the segregation of the wards; the people at Duke who had the greatest impact on him; Dr. Walter Kempner as being the reason that Duke came so far so fast; his internship with Dr. Kempner; Dr. Joseph Beard; Dr. Wilburt Davison; working with public patients; coming back to Duke after having been in Savannah; working with Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; Duke North; working at the Durham VA hospital; and his retirement.

This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Jean Spaulding on October 3, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 01:18:01
Spaulding discusses her family background; growing up in Michigan; the diverse community in Michigan; coming to the South; negative and prejudiced treatment in the South as an African-American; the lack of recognition of the Vietnam War in Duke Medical School; negative treatment from some in the medical school; the medical school not being affected by the undergraduate protests and takeovers taking place at the Allen Building due to racial issues; the segregation of donors' blood along racial lines; being the only African-American in Duke Medical School; negative statements made about her scholarship in her admissions interview because she was a woman; the prejudice of some of the professors at Duke Medical School; cross burning on her front lawn; her determination to stay and exercise her civil rights; her closeness with the other five women in the class; the attractiveness of psychiatry to her; the trust relationship between patients and doctors in psychiatry; Mary Ann Black; Dr. Spaulding and Ms. Black as the only African-Americans at the Child Guidance Clinic; the close relationship with Ms. Black; the Community Child Guidance Clinic; the atmosphere of the Duke Department of Psychiatry; Dr. Ewald Busse; Dr. H. Keith H. Brodie; the open nature of those at the Child Guidance Clinic; the joys of raising a family at same time as education and career; her pregnancy during medical school; taking time off to raise her first daughter; threats of the removal of her scholarship due to time off; the rescinding of threats when legal recourses were mentioned; the Biddle Foundation Scholarship; the opportunity to chair the Community Psychiatry Division; the decision to open a private practice instead; the predominance of female clientele in her practice; the particular stresses of that population to do everything; her own perspective as a person who accomplished many things simultaneously; balance in her life; her participation in the Women's Council for Duke; assisting Dr. Snyderman in developing the health system; the board of trustees of the Duke Endowment; what the presidential search committee saw in Dr. Nannerl Keohane; Duke's acquisition of Durham Regional Hospital; communication with Mary Ann Black at the time; Duke's relationship with the larger community; the view of Duke by some segments of African-Americans in the Durham community; Mary Semans; women and African-Americans whose names should be mentioned; Promising Practices; the development of initiatives for women at Duke Health System; females in positions of high leadership at Duke; Dr. Ralph Snyderman; role as trustee of Duke Endowment; her mother-in law, Elna Spaulding; her father-in-law, Asa Spaulding; and her daughters. 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.

History of the Davison Club.

Duke Cardiovascular Databank.

Dr. Cook's involvement in the Davison Club and other charitable giving to Duke.

This oral history interview was conducted with William London on September 13, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry.
Duration: 00:50:40
William London discusses the integration of the Watts and Lincoln hospitals, the development of facilities at Durham Regional Hospital, and his personal responsibilities as the president of medical staff at Watts Hospital and Durham General Hospital. He also discusses his professional background, his work with the American Board of Pediatrics, and the history of pediatric care on the local, state, and national level. Include a master and use CD.

This oral history interview was conducted with Sezer Aksel on September 13, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit.
Duration: 00:43:32
Sezer Aksel discusses her background in Turkey; her desire to become a physician even against her family's desires; coming to Duke Medical School; the difficulty understanding Southern accents; the friendly atmosphere at Duke; completing premedical courses at Duke; the new curriculum at Duke Medical School; her interest in physiology and endocrinology; her second year of residency at Johns Hopkins; women in her medical school class; the busy residency schedule at Duke; dressing facilities in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; working twice as hard initially to gain men's respect; her acceptance from the faculty of her department; the reputation of Dr. Eleanor Easley in the department; previous female interns in the department having a difficult time and leaving Duke; support from the nursing staff in the department; support from the department chair, Dr. Roy Parker; the supposition among some in the department that women patients did not like to see female doctors for ob-gyn care and Dr. Aksel's experiences to the contrary; the first baby delivered; endocrinology; endocrinology-related surgical procedures; laparoscopy; the length of residency determined by the department chair; operating as a resident; learning by doing; the growth of department; females who joined the residency in the department after she came; changes due to more females; the male-dominated nature of dressing facilities in department; job opportunities after finishing residency; and establishing the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of South Alabama. The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation. Includes 1 master audiocassette tape, 1 master and 1 use CD, and 1 transcript.

Durham Regional Hospital.

Duke Hospital North.