"Chapter 20: Privileged to Work at MD Anderson; An Active Life and Fam" by Eugenie S. Kleinerman MD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD
 
Chapter 20: Privileged to Work at MD Anderson; An Active Life and Family

Chapter 20: Privileged to Work at MD Anderson; An Active Life and Family

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Description

Dr. Kleinerman begins by talking about the “privilege” she feels to work at MD Anderson. Next she lists the initiatives she would like to be remembered for. She then talks about her family life and active personal life.

Identifier

KleinermanES_04_20140618_C20

Publication Date

6-18-2014

City

Houston, Texas

Topics Covered

The Interview Subject's Story - Personal BackgroundCharacter, Values, Beliefs, Talents Personal Background Career and Accomplishments Funny Stories Portraits Personal Reflections, Memories of MD Anderson

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Disciplines

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oncology | Oral History

Transcript

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Right, right. Is there anything else you want to say about presidents or MD Anderson as an institution at this point?

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

No. It’s been a privilege for me to be here. I’ve learned a tremendous amount. I’ve got great colleagues. I think we take really good care of our patients, but I’m concerned that that edge is going to be lost. I think we do have to start focusing on the patient experience, I’m thinking about things like that, but that’s going to require leadership at the top to say this is going to take time and we’re going to have to make choices. And I think we have to start putting more resources into the clinical machinery and be more comfortable with the notion that we are not going to be like UT Southwestern, have all these Nobel laureates. I don’t think that should be the mission of MD Anderson.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Yeah. Is there anything else you’d like to say about how you’d like to be remembered or the legacy that you will be leaving the institution? I mean, you obviously have a number of more years of service, but you’re clearly working towards something here.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I’d like to be known for transforming the Division of Pediatrics and making it a world-class center for treating children with cancer. I’d like to be known for being one of the first developers of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is real hot right now, and I think nobody remembers that, you know, way back when I did immunotherapy, so I’d like to be remembered for that. And I’d like to be remembered for training the next generation of pediatric oncology leaders.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Now, outside the walls of MD Anderson, is there anything you’d like to share about your life outside this—

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I’ve been extremely lucky. I have two wonderful sons, a wonderful husband, forty-two years almost, in August. I’ve just been very, very lucky, very lucky. Houston’s a great city.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Is there something you do that’s uniquely you or very surprising that you’d like to share? (laughter)

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Uniquely me? Well, I play golf. I’m not a great golfer, but I play golf, and I took up golf because my husband is a golfer. Well, he was a tennis player. Then when he injured, he couldn’t, so he had to go back and play golf. And my two sons were playing golf and he was playing golf, and they were gone on Sunday, and I said, “Okay, if I’m going to see my family, I’d better take up golf.” (laughter) So as painful as it was, I was determined I was going to play golf. So it was very hard to take it up as an adult, but I can play. (laughter) And now it’s very nice because my husband and I play golf every Sunday, so it’s very nice.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

That’s cool.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I was an aerobics instructor.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Really?

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I was, right.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Huh. On top of everything else.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Yeah. Well, that was before. I started that before I became division head, so it was about ten years. And then I would body-pump, I don’t know, that’s a—

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Oh, yeah.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

So I was a body-pump instructor, and I guess I stopped doing that about 2004, because I just couldn’t fit in. You know, you’ve got to get there at class, whatever.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Sure. Yeah, yeah.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

So actually, okay, funny thing. So I told my husband, “I’ll take up golf, but then you have to take dancing lessons,” ballroom dancing lessons, because I love to dance. So he said, “Okay.”

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

All right!

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

So while I was learning to play golf, we were also taking dancing lessons. Now, somehow that fell off the radar screen. (laughter) I’m still playing golf, but it’s my fault, I guess, because I had to book the lessons.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Well, it sounds like you’re very much a sports-minded, activity-minded person.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I am. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I love baseball, love baseball, so got my younger son involved in baseball, and that was something that I really enjoyed, going to practice as well. I used to go to practice, and I’d have my pile of grants, so I’d be reading grants. (laughter) Except when he was a pitcher, and then I was counting pitches, you know, because I didn’t trust the coaches.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

(laughs) That’s really funny, reading grants at practice. That’s funny. (laughs)

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

So that was something that’s very special that he and I had together.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

That’s very cool.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Yeah.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

And your sons’ names, just for the record.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

So my oldest son is Richard, and my younger son, the baseball player, is Andrew. My older son is a violin player, so with him I was driving to violin lessons.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Okay. All right. Well, is there anything else you’d like to add?

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

I don’t think so. I think you’ve pretty much covered everything.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Well, it’s been a real pleasure talking to you, Dr. Kleinerman. (laughter)

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Oh, thank you. Thank you. As my husband says, “Talking about my favorite subject: me.” (laughter) Which I don’t feel the same way, but—

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Well, often people are very surprised about how much they have to say on even that subject. (laughs) But it’s been really, really a delight to talk to you.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. good luck to you, and I can’t wait to see the final product.

Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:

Thanks. Well, I’m closing off the interview, and the time is 10:47, so thank you very much.

Eugenie Kleinerman, MD:

Thank you. (End of Audio Session Four)

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Chapter 20: Privileged to Work at MD Anderson; An Active Life and Family

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