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.

In this interview, Dr. Newman discusses his recruitment to Beth Israel by his predecessor Ray Trussell, MD; his relationship with the Board of Trustees; BI’s role in the AIDS crisis and addiction treatment; the acquisition of Doctors Hospital and Kings Highway Hospital; the establishment of a Japanese-language medical practice; the affiliation with St. Luke’s-Roosevelt and creation of Continuum Health Partners. Individuals discussed include: Ray Trussell, MD; Charles Silver; Harold Fierman; Milton Petrie; Donna Mildvan; Harold Trigg, MD; Vincent Dole, MD and Marie Nyswander, PhD; Morton Hyman.

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

This is a collection of oral history interviews conducted primarily by Albert Lyons, MD, who was the founder of the Mount Sinai, now the Arthur H. Aufses, Jr. MD, Archives. The bulk of the interviews take place between the 1960s and the 1990s. Some of the later interviews were conducted by Archives Director Barbara Niss, and a hand full are conducted by various other persons. Early interviews focus on various physicians and researchers of note, and later interviews add other employees of the Hospital.

This interview discusses Dr. Ginzberg’s research work while an assistant in Dr. Albert A. Berg’s private practice and while working as his House Surgeon (approximately 1926-1935) and the writing of an article and the presentation of a lecture on the condition that would come to be known as Crohn’s disease and who did the actual research behind it. Significant names mentioned include: Leo Kessel, Harold T. Hyman, Gordon Oppenheimer, Burrill B. Crohn, A.A. Berg, Emanuel Libman.

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.

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.

The majority of this interview discusses the set of circumstances around a heart transplant performed on August 27, 1986, before State approval of the pending certificate of need application to perform cardiac transplants was granted to Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Glenn also touches on HMOs (Oxford plan, US Healthcare, Cigna, Healthnet, Maxicare); occupancy of the hospital; marketing of the hospital; and the Independent Physicians Association (IPA).

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.

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.

This interview covers the years leading up to Dr. Chalmers accepting a position of President of The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Dean of the School of Medicine, but includes a bit of the story behind that. He begins by discussing his upbringing in Forest Hills, NY, schooling from Kew Forest School, Phillips Exeter Academy, then three years at Yale leading to medical school at Columbia's P&S. He goes into details about his family background, how he worked his way through school, failed his Army physical because of serum bilirubin issues, (later he was diagnosed with Gilbert’s syndrome) and thus took military service at Goldwater Memorial Hospital, conducting research. He continues to describe his work at various hospitals up to the time he came to Mount Sinai, the story of which will continue on another interview. (see AA107.INT032)

This interview starts with personal details of Manheim’s family and personal interests and ends with hobbies. The body of the interview discusses his early surgical interests, and how he came to his career in proctology. He spends a good deal of time discussing the issue of fee splitting and doctor’s fees and salaries. He reviews a list of surgeons and gives his impression of them as people and as surgeons, which is often negative. Manheim also elaborates on his opinion of building the medical school, of which he is not in favor, and on his dislike of the anesthesia department, and criticisms of the nursing staff.

Names mentioned: Mark Ravitch; A.A. Berg; A.V Moschcowitz; Howard Lilienthal; Edwin Beer; Eddie Blier; Walter Brickner; John Gerster; Abraham O. Wilensky; Isadore Friesner; Robert Turell; Abraham Hyman; Ralph Colp.

In this interview, Dr. Glenn mentions his upbringing in Kentucky and being a southerner in a northern city, and family background and education, and work in former positions. He delves into the his interview process for the job of President of the Medical Center and Acting Dean of the School of Medicine; his impressions of the Medical Center; what stands out positively and what needs to be improved in the physical plant, going into the building project he is undertaking for the Hospital, the staffing, the departments, the research specialties and the students. The topic of women in medicine and particularly surgery is touched on, as is his personal specialty urology.

Kark discusses his life and training (originally from South Africa); his work in South African hospitals and the University of Natal medical school; his arrival at Mount Sinai as Director of the Dept. of Surgery; his impressions of the program; affiliations with Greenpoint Hospital and the City Hospital Center at Elmhurst and the reasons for them; his contributions; planning of space in Annenberg; why he resigned; his opinion of Drs. George James, Solomon Berson, Kermit Osserman, John Garlock, Ralph Colp, Leon Ginzburg and Samuel Klein; his opinion of the residency training program. (Interview starts on August 16, 1973 and is continued on August 21, 1973.)