Lucy Yau discusses her experiences and impression of the pandemic during its first wave in spring 2020.

This oral history interview of M. Ralph Kaufman, MD was conducted by Albert S. Lyons, MD and Ruth Hirsch. The conversation focuses on the establishment of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital. (Psychiatry had initially been practiced within the Department of Neurology.) It also includes discussion of Dr. Kaufman's relationship with Joseph Klingenstein, Mount Sinai Board of Trustees president, as well as Dr. Kaufman's opinions on the role of affiliations, the founding of Mount Sinai Medical School, and the founding of the Klingenstein Clinical Center (KCC).

Dr. Kaufman briefly mentions other more personal topics, including: his early life; his career prior to Mount Sinai at various Boston-area hospitals, as well as being on the Harvard faculty; his time serving in World War II; his family; how he relaxes; and his health. Drs. Kaufman and Lyons also briefly discuss the book "Freud and His Followers" by Paul Roazen, as well as the role of psychobiology within the field of psychiatry.

Ms. Shubert was a patient of Dr. Lyons and former wife of Lee Shubert, the theater empresario. She talks about her relationship with Shubert, how they met, her work as an actress, their secret marriage, divorce and remarriage, how he built his theater business with his brothers Sam, Lee, and Jacob (Winter Garden Theater and the Herald Square Theater) and various performers she knew.

Maria Duenas discusses her experiences working as a primary care doctor in the main clinic at The Mount Sinai Hospital during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

Mark Clarke is the unit secretary in the Nursing Department, on unit 630 at Mount Sinai Morningside. He relates his experiences working there during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

Mark Collazo, born on Long Island but raised in Spain, talks about returning to NYC, how he came to work at St. Luke’s Hospital (now Mount Sinai Morningside) through volunteering first in the Respiratory Care Department moving the large oxygen cylinders, how he was hired for his first position at St. Luke’s, in the food services, and how he worked his way back to the Respiratory Care area. He mentions his educational history and goals, some of the doctors he has worked with or were encouraged by, relates some of his experiences with patients and shares his philosophy of working with respiratory care and giving the patients what they want, and the reasons he wishes to stay at St. Luke’s, despite other offers.

Alfred R. Stern served as Chairman of the three Boards of Trustees of Mount Sinai from 1977 to 1985 (the Medical Center, the Hospital and the Medical School). He explains the leadership structure of the institution, and how and why it changed over time, and discuses some of the strengths of Mount Sinai, “town and gown” tensions, and funding troubles on State and Federal levels. He describes Gustave Levy’s personality and working style. He adds some of his background growing up in Chicago area, shares some of the family history and stories, his business dealings in broadcasting (NBC radio & TV) and in cable, which he sold to Warner Communications, before moving onto work in another business. Finally, he touches on his hobbies and interests and his children.

Six members of the Infection Prevention team at Mount Sinai Hospital discusses their experiences working in Infection Prevention at the Mount Sinai Hospital during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

Meredith Maas discusses her experience when her partner contracted Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic, and then later, with both of them working from a small NYC apartment during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

Dr. Albert Lyons interviews Milton Sisselman, and Dr. Alan Silver sits in and occasionally injects a question. They discuss Sisselman’s family background and education, his start at Mount Sinai as a Fellow, then made permanent as a administrative assistant moving up to Associate Director in Healthcare Administration; changes in the organizational structure of the corporation; the beginnings of the medical school; including very early affiliation discussions with City College and Montefiore Hospital; mentions of early unionization of Mount Sinai; detailed conversation on “The Sinai Syndrome,” (competitiveness; abrasiveness, etc.); where the funding for the medical school was found; relationships and disputes between early leaders of the Hospital, School, and Corporation; and characterization of several of the leading figures (David Pomrinse, George James, Gustave L. Levy, Joseph Klingenstein), details of the design and building of the Annenberg Building and mentions of the backgrounds of many of the other buildings in the complex.

Frequently mentioned names include: Martin Steinberg, Norman Metzger, John Walsh, David Pomrinse, Alexander B. Gutman, Alan B. Kark, Mark Ravitch, Ivan Baronofsky, M. Ralph Kaufman, Hans Popper, Paul Klemperer, Leo Gottlieb, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Gustave L. Levy, George James, Sam Davis, Joseph Klingenstein, Max Fuchs.

In this interview, Dr. Davidson discusses his career at Beth Israel Medical Center, including his time as a resident, his work as medical director of the Bernstein Institute, which administered Beth Israel’s pioneering methadone treatment program, and his service on the Medical Board. Other topics discussed include Beth Israel’s affiliation with the Hospital for Joint Diseases, a first responder program established after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and a capitation practice established with a New York City trade union. Individuals discussed in depth include: Leon Ginzburg, MD; Arthur Fishberg, MD; Robert Newman, MD, MPH; Samuel Hausman; Louis Venet, MD; Ray Trussell, MD; Harold Trigg, MD.

Nancy Mary Panella, served as the medical librarian at St. Luke’s Hospital Center from 1970 to 2010, when she moved into the position of Archivist for the historical collections (2010-2016). In this interview she discusses her background and fields of study leading to a Doctorate in Library Services, her coming to work at St Luke's Hospital and her feelings about the Hospital. She relays several stories about interacting with staff, and mentions the development of the library, and particularly the historical collections, and being honored with being the first non-MD to be welcomed in to the Alumni Society of St. Luke's Hospital, and having the periodical room named in her honor.

Dr. Romas is an urologist who worked at St. Luke’s Hospital from 1984 to 2014 before moving to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. In this interview, he conveys information on his Greek background, his childhood life and schooling, medical training and as an administrator at St. Luke’s, as well as information about his family and personal interests. He also tells some interesting and funny experiences in practice.

Interview with Norman Zuckerman by Molly Seegers and Daniel Tarkington about working in the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health.

Patricia Bloom discusses her early years in Minnesota, the roots of her interest in international community medicine; her medical education and meeting her husband, Harrison Bloom, in medical school; their joint interest in pursuing a social medicine program during residency; how she was introduced to geriatrics at Montefiore and then later was persuaded to move to St. Luke’s Hospital and help found their geriatrics program, and continue to develop her medical career. Dr. Bloom spends time discussing the challenges of raising children while working full time, international medical students in the U.S., and the challenges of medicine in Africa, particularly among the older population. She mentions a number of colleagues including David Hammerman, Gerard M. Turino, Michael Grieco, Greg Steinberg and Joel Barrish.

Patrick Healey discusses his experiences working in the Department of Clinical Innovation, which provides special IT projects, at Mount Sinai Hospital during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020.

Peter R. Holt, MD, is the physician responsible for establishing the Department of Gastroenterology at St. Luke’s Hospital, and served as its Chief from 1962-2000. In this interview he briefly mentions his childhood in Berlin, Germany and England during WWII, his decision to further his medical studies in the US, finding his way to St. Luke’s Hospital almost accidently. He discusses his fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, his early research, moving into gastroenterology, and his return to St. Luke’s. He touches on the general culture of St. Luke’s in the 1960s-1970s, for example encouraging nursing staff to join patient rounds, the hospital mergers under Continuum Health Partners, his eventual decision to leave St. Luke’s, and the positions he has held at the American Health Foundation, The Strang Cancer Prevention Center, and his current post at the Rockefeller University. He mentions interactions with the following colleagues: G. Jarvis Coffin, MD; Robert B. Case, MD; Richard N. Pierson, MD; John H. Keating, Sr., MD; Theodore B. VanItallie, MD; Kurt J. Isselbacher, MD; Charles A. Flood MD; Miles J. Schwartz, MD; Richard S. McCray, MD; David Chalfin, MD, PhD; Steven Mezey, MD; Stanley E. Bradley, MD; Norton Rosenzweig, MD; Steven Moss, MD; Albert Attia, MD; and Harry A. Roselle, MD.

In this interview, Dr. Vogel describes the origins, and developments of the Department of Hematology, including establishment of a blood bank, increase in number of blood transfusions, start of bone marrow harvesting, changes in personnel, and the expansion of the department. He mentions several significant personalities including Dr. Eli Moschcowitz, Dr. Nathan Rosenthal, Dr. Lowell Erb, Dr. Louis Wasserman.

Interview with the Rev. Dr. Rachelle Zazzu, who speaks of her experiences as the sole chaplain at Mount Sinai Queens, which saw an unprecedented and overwhelming surge in Covid-19 patients in the first months of the pandemic. Video recording and transcript attached.

Dr. Richard Gold relates stories of his work as a radiologist at various New York tri-state area hospitals, and how he found his way to Roosevelt Hospital (now Mount Sinai West). He also shares information on his children, changes in radiology technologies, his post-retirement work as an expert medical witness.