Collections

Contains the professional papers of Galen S. Wagner (1939-2016), a Duke cardiologist instrumental in developing the Duke Cardiovascular Databank. Types of material include correspondence, reports, applications, CVs, schedules, photographs, slides, video cassette tapes, administrative records, Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Care Society (DUCCS) materials, printed materials, patient files, surveys, brochures, directories, and records pertaining to Wagner's time training staff at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital in Concord, North Carolina. Materials date from 1964 to 2008.

Louanne K. Watley is a photographer based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Watley started her career in nursing, receiving her nursing degree from Duke University School of Nursing. After her career in nursing, she discovered poetry and photography, and she developed her skills in those areas. Contains photographs from Watley's time at Duke. Materials date from 1959 to 1960.

Watts Hospital, located in Durham, North Carolina, was the city's first hospital. It was funded by George W. Watts and opened in 1895 as a private 22-bed, modern hospital, dedicated to the care of Durham's white citizens. African American citizens were cared for at Lincoln Hospital, which opened in 1901. By 1909, Watts Hospital's 22-bed facility was too small for a fast growing Durham, and a newer facility was built on 25 acres at the intersection of Club Boulevard and Board Street. This is where the hospital remained until it closed in 1976 when it merged with Lincoln Hospital when Durham County General Hospital (now Duke Regional Hospital) opened. The grounds and buildings of the hospital's 1909 campus were converted into the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, which opened in 1980. Types of materials hospital ledgers documenting births and expenses. Materials date from 1909 to 1940.

Watts School of Nursing (SON), formerly Watts Hospital Training School for Nurses, is North Carolina's oldest nursing school, established by George W. Watts in 1895. In 2019, Watts SON became Watts College of Nursing and their long-standing diploma program transitioned to a baccalaureate program in January 2020. Types of materials include nursing student composites, photographs of Watts Hospital, and a certificate. Materials date from 1975 to 2013.

Dr. Richard David Weiner, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, received his training and spent the bulk of his career as a psychiatrist and faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke. Weiner's research interests are in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and is considered a world authority on this treatment modality, particularly in terms of research to optimize safely and efficacy of the equipment used to deliver ECT, as well as regulation of these devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Includes materials documenting Weiner's work with ECT at Duke, as well as national activities in this area. Types of materials include publications, publicity, clippings, conference proceedings, reports, reprints, administrative records, photographic materials, presentations, ECT records, FDA materials, and legal materials. Materials date from 1933 to 2022.

Charlies Watson Wharton (1909-1990) had a medical practice in Smithfield, North Carolina. The collection includes notebooks; diagrams; sketches about preclinical subjects, physiology, and pharmacology; medical histories; and physical examinations. Materials range in date from 1930 to 1933.

Dr. Evelyn Booker Wicker held numerous positions at Duke University Hospital for more than 30 years, including director of Nursing Services for Duke Hospital South, 1978-1986; director of nursing, Division of Women's Health at Duke Hospital, 1986-1990; and director of Duke University Medical Center's Hospital Career Development Program, 1991-2000.

Frances K. Widmann (1935-2013) was a former director of the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital blood bank and faculty member in Duke's Department of Pathology. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on November 28, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit. In this interview, Widmann discusses her experiences as a woman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University Medical Center, and the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital.

Dr. Catherine M. Wilfert (1936- ) was chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine from 1976 until 1994. An award-winning AIDS researcher, she has done much of her work in developing countries. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on August 26, 2006 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit. In this interview, Wilfert discusses her work with AIDS patients in developing countries and the development of the anti-HIV drug AZT.

Contains records of the laboratory work and files of Huntington F. Willard, first director of the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy at Duke University, vice Chancellor for Genome Sciences and professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.

Hilda P. Willett (1923-2013) was the first female in Duke's Department of Microbiology (now the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology) and the first person to receive a PhD from that department, later becoming a full professor. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on May 21, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit. In this interview, Willett discusses her memories of being a female in Duke's Department of Microbiology.

R. Sanders Williams is dean of the Duke University School of Medicine.

Contains materials pertaining to Roger D. Williams (1924-2009), graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and Professor of General Surgery at Ohio State University College of Medicine. Types of materials include bound volumes of reprints of Williams' publications and his Duke graduate robe and hood. Materials date from 1947 to 1966.

Contains the professional papers of Florence K. Wilson (1889-1960), dean of the Duke University School of Nursing from 1946 to 1954. Types of materials include correspondence, conference materials, committee materials, professional association materials, short writings, and applications. Major subjects include Duke University School of Nursing, nursing education, and nursing students. Materials range in date from 1933 to 1967.

Joanne A. P. Wilson was the second African-American woman to graduate from Duke University School of Medicine. She later became a full professor in Duke's Department of Medicine. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on May 24, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit. In this interview, Wilson discusses her experiences as a woman within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke and establishing the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of South Alabama.

Ruby Leila Wilson was the dean of the Duke University School of Nursing from 1971 to 1984.

Contains the professional papers of Ruby Leila Wilson (1931-), professor and dean of the Duke University School of Nursing. Types of materials include correspondence, subject files, reports, evaluations, manuals, designs, buildings plans, budgets, speeches, applications, course materials, conference materials, photographs, minutes, notes, programs, AV materials, and academic regalia. Major subjects include Duke University School of Nursing, faculty, nursing students, nursing education, curriculum development, and Duke University Hospital. Materials range in date from 1930 to 2008.

Contains the records of William P. Wilson from 1976 to 2007 including those from his professional work at Duke and his professional and personal life after his retirement from Duke. Types of materials include correspondence, manuscripts, itinerary for speaking engagements, outlines for lectures, research notes, brochures, pamphlets, photos, clippings and one CD pertaining to the work of Dr. Wilson especially in psychiatry and spiritual healing. Major topics include Duke University, psychiatry and Christianity.

William P. Wilson (1922-2018) was a Professor of Psychiatry and director of the electroencephalographic laboratories at Duke University Medical Center, as well as the founder and original program director of Duke's program for Christianity, medicine, and psychiatry. This collection contains 2 oral history interviews conducted at separate times. Interviews were conducted on January 13, 2010 and February 11, 2010 by Jessica Roseberry. In the January 13, 2010 interview, Wilson discusses his medical career and his memories of Duke's Department of Psychiatry from its early days through his retirement in 1984. In the February 11, 2010 interview, Wilson discusses the establishment of the program for Christianity, medicine, and psychiatry at Duke and the fifteen years he served as the program's head.

Contains records created by the office of Robert G. Winfree (1943-2011), an administrator of Duke University Medical Center. Winfree's work involved close contact with top-level medical center administrators, including Ralph Snyderman, William Anlyan, Bernard McGinty, and Jane Elchlepp. Records pertain to the administration of Duke University Medical Center divisions, especially regarding accreditation, investigative compliance, and building maintenance and expansion. Types of materials include correspondence, reports, memoranda, minutes, budgets, space allocation plans, and committee materials. Subjects include space allocation, clinics, accreditation, administration, management, compliance, site visits, public relations, expansion, Duke University Medical Center buildings, Sea Level Hospital, Duke Health Information Systems, the Medical Center Information System, and the personal life of Robert G. Winfree. Materials range in date from 1951 to 1994.

Dr. Walter G. Wolfe, MD (1937-2020), emeritus faculty member and a Duke cardiothoracic surgeon, led the cardiac surgery program at the Veterans Administration (VA) turning the struggling VA program into one of the most successful in the country. During his more than 50 year tenure at Duke, he was a cardiothoracic surgeon, clinician researcher, teacher, and mentor. This collection contains 2 oral history interviews conducted on July 14, 1994 by Dr. James F. Gifford and June 5, 2019 by Susannah Roberson as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the 1994 interview, Wolfe discusses his career, work of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory of which Wolfe was the director, the structure of the Department of Surgery, and the evolution of the Department of Surgery. In the 2019 interview, Wolfe discusses his early life, education, why he decided to join the medical profession, how he came to complete his residency at Duke, his different roles during his career at Duke, what it was like to work for and with Sabiston, and his memories of Sabiston.

Dr. Walter G. Wolfe, MD, Emeritus Professor of Surgery and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Surgical Services at the Durham VA Medical Center was a cardiothoracic surgeon, clinician researcher, teacher, and mentor during his more than 50 year career at Duke. In 2015, by virtue of his exceptional contributions to Duke Surgery, Wolfe was designated a Master Surgeon. This collection includes Wolfe's professional materials. The bulk of the materials are slides documenting his pathologies and surgeries. The collection also contains photographic prints, negatives, and a small amount of correspondence, printed materials, and presentations. Materials date from 1965 to 1998.

Contains the personal and professional papers of Barnes Woodhall (1905-1985), professor and chair of the Division of Neurological Surgery and dean of the School of Medicine at Duke University. Types of materials include correspondence, subject files, minutes, reports, memoranda, memorabilia, short writings, reprints, and photographs. Major subjects include Duke University Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, health services administration, Veteran's Administration, North Carolina Atomic Energy Commission, Health Planning Council for Central North Carolina, Journal of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center Library, National Library of Medicine and MEDLARS, National Institutes of Health, hospital design and construction, and Research Triangle Institute. Major correspondents include Everett Hopkins, R. Taylor Cole, and Douglas M. Knight. Materials range in date from 1930 to 1987.

Dr. James Barnes Wyngaarden, MD, is a former professor and administrator of Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University Hospital. This collection includes 3 oral history interviews conducted at separate times. Interviews were conducted on April 9, 1982 by Dr James Gifford, March 21, 2005 by Jessica Roseberry, and October 17, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry as part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit. In the 1982 interview, Wyngaarden discusses his background, education, professional career, research, his time at Duke and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and research training programs. In the 2005 interview, Wyngaarden discusses his work at both the NIH and Duke, as well as his commitment to the concept of the physician scientist and his continued work in scientific fields since leaving the NIH. In the 2007 interview, which is part of the Women in Duke Medicine Oral History Exhibit, Wyngaarden discusses Dr. Grace Kerby and his understanding of her experiences in the Department of Medicine.

Contains the professional papers of James B. Wyngaarden, former professor and administrator of Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University Hospital. Types of materials include correspondence, subject files, reports, minutes, and committee materials. Major subjects include Duke University Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, and hospital administration. Materials range in date from 1958 to 1993.

Dr. John D. York was a professor of biochemistry and pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center. He is also an invesigator for the non-profit medical research organization Howard Hughes Medical Institute. At Duke, York studied biology and enzyme regulation of inositol cellular signal transduction pathways, and the mechanisms of lithium action as it pertains to treatment of bipolar disorder. In 2012, he became the chair of Vanderbilt University's Dept. of Biochemistry.

David E. Yount (1935-2000) was a researcher on bubble formation theory and decompression sickness, University of Hawaii professor of physics, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, administrator at the University of Hawaii, and a member of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). Collection contains correspondence, reports, committee materials, text of speeches and lectures, presentation notes, manuscript materials, research files, and grant files. Major subjects include diving, acoustics, decompression, decompression sickness, high-energy physics, and diving physiology. Materials range in date from 1862 to 2000, with the bulk of materials dating from 1975 to 2000.