The Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development was created in 1955 by the U.S. Surgeon General and was designated as one of five regional resource centers on aging. The center's first initiatives included the Duke Longitudinal Studies, a 20-year project begun in 1956 that monitored the physical, mental, social, and economic status of approximately 800 older adults. Types of materials include correspondence, audiovisual materials, reprints, departmental histories, budget materials, computer printouts, brochures, newsletters, clippings, directories, grant materials, questionnaires, printed materials, architectural plans, and internal administrative papers such as meeting minutes, reports, publications, and photographs. Major subjects include the study of aging and human development, mental health, geriatric medicine, psychological and psychiatric behavior of older adults, Carol Woods Retirement Home, the Hillhaven LaSalle Nursing Center, the Forest at Duke, the Greenery Rehabilitation Center, the United Methodist Retirement Home, the Croasdaile Village, and Ewald W. Busse. A portion of the materials came from the files of Dorothy K. Heyman; these files have been interspersed throughout the collection. The collection contains materials from Gerda G. Fillenbaum concerning the Study at Carol Woods in Chapel Hill, NC (1979-1981), the Longitudinal Retirement History Study (1969-1979), the Older Americans Resources and Services Program (OARS), and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). The collection also contains materials from Lisa P. Gwyther, concerning her work with Alzheimer's and related diseases and the Duke Aging Center Family Support Program. The collection also contains materials from Mitchell Heflin concerning the Consortium for Faculty Development to Advance Geriatric Education (FD-AGE), the Duke Geriatrics Division's curriculum on the care of older adults entitled "Clinical Core on Aging", and the Duke Geriatric Education Center (GEC). Materials range in date from 1952 to 2019.
The Department of Medicine was established in 1930, coinciding with the opening of Duke Hospital. Types of materials include reprints; appointment lists of professors, associates, instructors, residents, affiliates, and alumni; biographical sketches; Eugene A. Stead Jr. alumni lists; a biography of Frederic Moir Hanes; lists of chief residents of Duke Hospital, VA Medical Center, and Ambulatory Care; a list of the numbers of house staff; student, house staff, and faculty files; and staff and faculty group photographs. Major subjects include the Department of Medicine. Materials date from 1930 to 2017.
Dr. Harvey J. Cohen, MD, Emeritus Director of the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development and Duke University School of Medicine faculty member, pioneered research and work in the field of Geriatrics. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on February 24, 2020 by Emily Stewart as part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the interview, Cohen discusses his educational background and how he became a doctor, his career in medicine, his residency at Duke in the Department of Medicine, his transition onto the faculty at Duke, his time as the Chair of the Department of Medicine, his work in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and his memories of Sabiston.