Dr. James R. Urbaniak graduated from Duke University School of Medicine in 1962 and completed his residency training in Orthopaedics at Duke in 1969. Urbaniak joined Duke's faculty in 1969 as an Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery and became a full professor in 1977. He became the Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery (1985-2002). In 1991 he was awarded the Virginia Flowers Baker Professorship Chair and, in 1994, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery for Clinical Affairs. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on November 6, 2018 by Dr. Justin Barr and is part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project. In the interview, Urbaniak discusses his childhood, how he came to Duke, his experiences at Duke, orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, his time as the attending physician to the United States Congress and the Supreme Court during the Vietnam War, general surgery, Dr. David C. Sabiston, Dr. Lenox D. Baker, Dr. J. Leonard Goldner, hand surgery, microsurgery, and vascularized fibular grafts.
Dr. L. Scott Levin, MD, is an orthopaedic and plastic surgeon who completed residencies in both specialties at Duke University Hospital. He spent 27 years at Duke University Medical Center and for the last 15 of those years he was the Division Chief of the Plastic Surgery Division in the Department of Surgery. Division of Plastic Surgery. During his time at Duke, he pioneering the Limb Salvage Program and established the Human Fresh Tissue Laboratory. After leaving Duke, he went on to become the Paul B. Magnuson Professor of Bone and Joint Surgery, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Penn), and Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery). He is also Medical Director of the Penn Musculoskeletal and Rheumatology Service Line, Director of the Hand Transplant Program and leads the reconstructive microsurgery team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This collection contains one oral history interview conducted on December 14, 1995 by Dr. James Gifford. In the interview, which is part of the Dr. David Sabiston Oral History Project, Levin reflects on his education; career; mentors; the history of the Department of Surgery and Division of Plastic Surgery at Duke; his interest in microsurgery, hand surgery, and othoplastic extremity reconstruction (limb salvage); how the residency program has changed over time; his experiences in the Division of Plastic Surgery; and his memories of Sabiston including his leadership style, legacy to Duke and the profession of surgery, and his work ethic.