Duke Medical Center Archive Blog

The Duke Community was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Charles Johnson. He joined Duke in 1970 as the first Black faculty member in the School of Medicine and first Black physician on the faculty of Duke University. He was an important and vital pioneer at the School of Medicine.

In a 1990 article, the late Dr. Onye Akwari, the first Black professor of surgery, commented that “I don’t think people realize what Charlie has done in this institution. Charlie and Jim Carter [a psychiatrist who joined the faculty in 1971] were the initial black physicians in the institution, and these were very difficult days. They have served as the shields behind… MORE

Category: News, Collection Highlights

If you have never browsed the pages of the Intercom, we highly suggest taking a look. The Intercom was Duke Medicine’s primary news publication from 1953 to 1972. The pages are filled with traditional news stories about new medical innovations, changes in hospital policy, or personnel changes. They also often contain lighthearted stories about unusual happening around the hospital, social clubs, and opportunities for learning. 

Today we are highlighting another social group at Duke Hospital that caught our eye… MORE

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Carter Hulinsky joined the Archives staff as an intern in October. He received his BA from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where he majored in Sociology and minored in History and Czech Language. He is currently working towards a Masters of Library and Information Science with a Concentration in Archives and Records Management at UNC-Chapel Hill and expects to be finished in 2023. After graduation, he hopes to continue working in Archives where he revels in the little known stories and details found in archival materials because there are always opportunities to learn and reasons to explore.

Carter developed an interest… MORE

Category: News

Archives Month is an annual, month-long observance of the agencies and people responsible for maintaining and making available the archival and historical records of our nation, state, communities, and people. Archives serve as the memory of our nation, and by celebrating, we recognize and give legitimacy to the enduring value of American records and America’s archives. We encourage you to check out our Instagram account where we'll be highlighting treasures from the Medical Center Archives collection all month long. This month the Society of North Carolina Archivists theme is North Carolina Travel, Tourism, and Vacation!  Additionally on October 13, 2021, archivists around the country will take to Twitter… MORE

Category: News

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are featuring an oral history from our collections with Dr. Alejandro Barbagelata.

Dr. Barbagelata is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at Duke University and a member of the Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Society (DUCCS) Board of Directors. He was interviewed by Jessica Roseberry on March 26, 2007. In the oral history interview, Barbagelata discusses the Duke Cardiovascular Databank and subsequent variations at Favaloro Clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

When describing the challenges of establishing the Latino version of the Duke Databank, he… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Duke University Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that the Wiley D. Forbus Records are processed and open for research. The collection includes but is not limited to abstracts, accounts, annual reports, budgets, committee files, correspondence, course outlines, curriculum, curriculum vitae, lectures, manuscripts, memoranda, minutes, monographs, photographs, plans, proceedings, programs, protocols, publications, recommendations, reports, and schedules documenting the work of Dr. Wiley Davis Forbus (1894-1976), professor and chair of the Department of Pathology at Duke… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Medical Center Archives is happy to announce the addition of the following student groups to its collections’ holdings: Duke Chapter of the American Medical Women's Association Records The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), founded in 1915, is an organization which functions at the local, national, and international level to advocate for the advancement of women in medicine and for the improvement of women's health. Contains records pertaining to the operations of the Duke Chapter of the AMWA. Materials date from 2019 to 2020 … MORE

Category: Collection Highlights

An oral history is an interview that records an individual’s personal recollections of the past and historical events. Using this method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting ensures that the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants are added to the historical record. Oral histories are conducted by a well prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their subsequent discussion in an audio or video format. Afterwards, the recording of the interview is transcribed to create a transcript and added to the holdings of a library or archives where it should be cataloged to make it discoverable by future users. Did you know that the Medical Center Archives houses a robust oral history collection of over 350 interviews? These oral histories date to as… MORE

Category: Collection Highlights

Each year the School of Medicine students put on an entirely student-run production that offers a comedic view of the experiences of a medical student at Duke, usually parodying a popular musical or movie. The shows feature original songs and dances, student performances, and guest appearances by School of Medicine faculty. The Duke University Medical Center Archives actively collects Student-Faculty Show materials. The Student-Faculty Show Collection contains digital and analog materials that feature video performances (VHS video tapes, U-matic video tapes, DVDs, MP4 files), audio recordings (LPs, CDs, 7 inch reel-to-reel audio tapes), photographs, negatives, scripts, cast… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

Attention!!! Attention!!!  Does your office create records? Do you know what records are? (No, not vinyl, the other type of records :-)) Do you know what to do with your office’s records once they have reached the end of their usefulness to your office?   If you answered yes or are unsure you have come to the right place. The Duke University Medical Center Archives is proud to announce the launch of a new series of records management training videos. These seven online modules are short instructional guides on handling your records and transferring them for permanent preservation in the Archives. The videos are short, ranging from 2 to 7 minutes.  The first video answers the… MORE

Category: News

We are proud to announce that the Duke Med Pride Records are now processed and open for research at the Duke University Medical Center Archives. DukeMed Pride is a student-led group consisting of LGBTQIA+ and allied students within the Duke University School of Medicine (DUSOM) that formed circa 2000.

The collection documents the variety of events and programming hosted by DukeMed Pride including Anti-Racism in the Queer Community, Fat Stigma in Healthcare, DukeMed Virtual 5K, Pride Pizza Pinhook Pre-Game Pride Pool Party, Queer Health Science Mixer, and Trans and Gender Expansive Healthcare Panel. It also contains… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

Calling all students!

As we approach the end of the academic year, we invite you to share your experiences and perspectives for preservation in the Duke Medical Center Archives. We want to collect documentation of students’ experiences before this history is lost to memory.

We have a short form that asks some reflective questions about your experiences as a health professional student during a worldwide pandemic. It also provides a place for you to upload photographs, videos, or audio recordings that document your year.

These questions are designed to be flexible and are all optional. Your answers will go directly to the Archives and not to school administrators or… MORE

Category: News

In the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Duke Health assembled a COVID-19 Response Team (now named Duke Health Leadership) and, along with Duke Health Nursing, began to hold virtual town halls where they discussed Duke Health’s and Duke Nursing’s clinical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each town hall has a theme, panelists, and a Q&A session for participants. All have been held virtually. Some themes include: COVID-19 patient surge preparations, COVID-19 testing, nursing issues, PPE, COVID-19 patient care, clinical and operations updates, COVID-19 vaccine, return to school, Duke Health’s voter registration and turnout initiative for the 2020 elections, and Moments to Movement (Duke Health’s collective stand against systemic racism and injustice). The DUMCA is actively… MORE

Category: News, Collection Spotlight

In the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Duke Health assembled a COVID-19 Response Team (now named Duke Health Leadership) and, along with Duke Health Nursing, began to hold virtual town halls where they discussed Duke Health’s and Duke Nursing’s clinical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each town hall has a theme, panelists, and a Q&A session for participants. All have been held virtually. Some themes include: COVID-19 patient surge preparations, COVID-19 testing, nursing issues, PPE, COVID-19 patient care, clinical and operations updates, COVID-19 vaccine, return to school, Duke Health’s voter registration and turnout initiative for the 2020 elections, and Moments to Movement (Duke Health’s collective stand against systemic racism and injustice). The DUMCA is actively… MORE

Category: News, Collection Spotlight

In the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Duke Health assembled a COVID-19 Response Team (now named Duke Health Leadership) and, along with Duke Health Nursing, began to hold virtual town halls where they discussed Duke Health’s and Duke Nursing’s clinical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each town hall has a theme, panelists, and a Q&A session for participants. All have been held virtually. Some themes include: COVID-19 patient surge preparations, COVID-19 testing, nursing issues, PPE, COVID-19 patient care, clinical and operations updates, COVID-19 vaccine, return to school, Duke Health’s voter registration and turnout initiative for the 2020 elections, and Moments to Movement (Duke Health’s collective stand against systemic racism and injustice). The DUMCA is actively… MORE

Category: News, Collection Spotlight