Abstract of Recording

Theodore B. VanItallie, MD spent the bulk of his medical career as Chief of Medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital Center (1957 to 1975). Dr. VanItallie discusses his early life and influences, his medical interests and mentors; his time as Chief of Medicine and his work towards bringing St. Luke’s up to full university hospital status and a research center affiliated with Columbia University, and how these plans were thwarted, in his opinion, by Hospital administration; his opinions on the merger of St. Luke’s and Roosevelt hospitals and the more recent merger of SL-R with Mount Sinai Medical Center; and conflicts between senior and junior Attendings. During his interview Dr. VanItallie mentions John H. Keating, Sr., MD, Sami A. Hashim, MD, Henry B. Guthrie, W. Henry Sebrell, Jr., MD, F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, Gerard M. Turino, MD, Solomon A. Berson, MD, Rosalyn Yalow, PhD, Nancy Kemeny, MD. Includes extended footage of informal conversation in VanItallie's home and Drs. Braun, VanItallie, and Hashim in the garden.

Transcript of Theodore B. VanItallie, MD interview (INT 0168)

Video Recording of Theodore B. VanItallie, MD interview (INT 0168)

Biographical Sketch

Dr. VanItallie attended Harvard University and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, completing his Internship and Residency at St. Luke’s Hospital. He spent several years at Harvard’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital before returning to St. Luke’s as Chief of Medicine (1957 to 1975). His main goal as Chief was to build not only a fine medical center by attracting the best and brightest in medicine, but an outstanding research medical center by affiliating with Columbia University and becoming a university hospital. His own research pursuits revolved around metabolic nutritional issues in obesity. In 1975 St. Luke's Hospital created the first National Institute of Health-funded obesity research center under Dr. VanItallie. Collaborating with Sami Hashim, MD, they were the first to discover and publish their research on the use of cholestyramine in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and primary biliary cirrhosis in 1960. This was the first such drug developed to lower cholesterol. As of the time of this interview, Dr. VanItallie, age 98, is retired, but still working on a supplement he and Dr. Hashim developed which, in genetically modified Alzheimer’s mice, has been shown to slow down and even halt or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. It has FDA approval for clinical trials in humans if he can produce a better tasting product.

Curriculum Vitae of Theodore B. VanItallie, MD