Interview Chapters

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  Chapter 08: Issues in Graduate Education: Attracting and Retaining Women in the Graduate School; The Future of Biomedical Education

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Stancel first observes that women had difficulty finding mentors in the early years of the GSBS (and recounts how the newly-created UT Medical School wanted to compete for the best students with more established schools and so actively recruited women and tailored courses to what were perceived to be women’s learning/working style). He explains discussing why the GSBS must have “a much deeper conversation with itself” about preparing students for careers outside of academia and how to foster innovation and creativity. At the end of this segment he mentions various books dealing with innovation and medical education.

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  Chapter 09: Evolution of Research on Estrogen and Sweeping Changes in Biomedical Science

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Stancel next turns to his own research linking estrogen and uterine cancer. During his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana he worked in the “hot contemporary area” of hormone mechanisms. He summarizes the shift in thinking about hormones at the time and the innovations that enabled detailed investigation of these substances and their relationship to cancer. Dr. Stancel was recruited for his work on steroid hormone action. He gives a vivid description of how technical innovations completely transformed his laboratory between 1972 and 2000. He describes several of the projects undertaken in his lab, including attempts to distinguish estrogenicity and carcinogenicity, successful demonstrations that hormones such as insulin and thyroid hormone would effect how a female animal would respond to estrogen, and work on mechanisms to predict susceptibility to uterine cancers. Dr. Stancel offers a lively anecdote of how the lab relied on-cutting edge equipment, such as the RT-PCR --a first reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction processor, the first at the UT Medical Center (and one of the first in the nation –their processor had serial #8), which they shared with others. At the end of this segment he describes the process of closing down his laboratory.

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  Chapter 10: The First Uterine SPORE Grant

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Stancel talks his role (partnered with two junior faculty members at MD Anderson) on the first uterine SPORE grant (Specialized Programs of Research Excellence) in the country.

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  Chapter 11: The First Course in Ethics

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Stancel talks about his role on the Research Ethics Task Force. He stresses that as far as he knows the Graduate School of Biomedical Science is the first institution to offer a course in ethics and to require it. He explains why teaching ethics has been controversial, then talks about the plans to formally track the effect of this program and possible ethical dilemmas medical professionals will face. He vividly describes some of the teaching methods.

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  Chapter 12: Executive Vice President of Academic and Research Affairs

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Stancel talks about his role as Executive Vice President of Academic and Research Affairs for the Texas Health Science Center (appointed in 2011). He observes that this high-level administrative work is much like “building a structure or a framework to help people” do their work more effectively and effortlessly. He foresees that future collaborations between UT Health Sciences and MD Anderson (and other institutions) will become more important as these institutions deal creatively with budgetary constraints and share resources and expensive equipment.

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  Chapter 13: Proud of Teaching; A Goal of Maximizing Intellectual Cooperation Between UT Institutions

  George M. Stancel PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Stances shares some of his private life and perspectives. He talks about his long-time participation in the Ride for Multiple Sclerosis, a bike ride between Houston and Austin that hundred of people participate in, including many teams of Houston medical professionals. Among his professional achievements, he is most proud of developing new educational programs from scratch or significantly modifying them. He is also proud of having taught every single medical student who has come through the Texas Medical School, as well as teaching students in every school in the health science center, including graduate students at MD Anderson. He concludes the interview with a snapshot of what he would like to achieve in his remaining time in administration: a maximization of intellectual cooperation between all the University of Texas components and other institutions in Houston. He hopes that institutions might find ways of overcoming unhealthy rivalry and “build a better family” of biomedical intellectuals and institutions that might serve as “better stewards of public trust.”

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  Chapter 01: Inspired By Work at a Medical Institution

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck explains that he came to work for MD Anderson's Department of Public Information and Education in 1975. (Prior to that he worked in a University of Texas Medical School Information Office that served both the Medical School and MD Anderson.) He then offers some background information, including how he came to spend his "formative years" in Houston. He notes that he spent his undergraduate years at University of Texas at Austin majoring in advertising and journalism. He secured a job in public information at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston after graduation. Seeing the caring dimension of medicine inspired him to continue to work with the medical field, however he was drafted in 1969, going to Vietnam in 1970 as a public information specialist who wrote for the Army until his discharge in 1971. Though he returned to the University of Texas at Austin for graduate work, he left because for a job in the Public Affairs office at the University of Texas Houston.

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  Chapter 02: Public Affairs: Working Closely with MD Anderson Presidents

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck describes the work he did promoting awareness of the new medical school (University of Texas Medical School) until 1975, when he was made Director of MD Anderson's Department of Public Information. He explains why the rapidly growing institution needed such a Department at that time and why Dr. R. Lee Clark offered him the job [the letter mentioned is reproduced in Steve Stuyck: The MD Anderson Years]. He talks about Dr. Glen Knots, to whom Mr. Stuyck reported, and the lessons he learned from him about management and leadership. He then explains why, in 1981, Dr. Charles LeMaistre arranged for Mr. Stuyck to report directly to him. He tells a story about a speech he volunteered to write for Dr. LeMaistre when he had to testify in Washington D.C. about the deaths of several patients, and how pleased Dr. LeMaistre was with his work.

  Mr. Stuyck explains the particular abilities he was able to bring to MD Anderson and to the institution's presidents. In addition to being a good editor of others' work, Mr. Stuyck describes himself as a strong writer about MD Anderson and about cancer, with a skill to commit issues to paper. He had a special sense of Dr. Charles LeMaistre's way of expressing himself and could capture it. (Mr. Stuyck says that "I could hear him saying the words from the podium.) He notes that the archives have about 700 speeches that he wrote over the course of his career.

  Mr. Stuyck describes the exhausting schedule of working with Dr. LeMaistre's speech trips and notes that, when Dr. John Mendelsohn arrived, it was agreed that Mr. Stuyck would not write his speeches.

  Mr. Stuyck then tells several anecdotes to demonstrate what he learned about leadership from Dr. Charles LeMaistre. In particular, he mentions Dr. LeMaistre's habit of encouraging people who worked for him.

  Mr. Stuyck recalls that Governor Bill Clemmons shouted at him during a visit, and Dr. LeMaistre phoned him later in the evening to tell him not to worry about it. Next he speaks briefly about Dr. John Mendelsohn, noting that he was just what the institution needed at the time. Dr. Mendelsohn promoted Mr. Stuyck to Vice President of Public Affairs.

  Mr. Stuyck notes that he had thirty years of working with great bosses and great leaders.

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  Chapter 03: Early Developments in the Department of Public Information and Education

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  This chapter opens with the interviewer providing an overview of the three story threads told in Mr. Stuyck's interview: the story of his career, of the Public Affairs at MD Anderson, and a story of what public affairs encompasses.

  Mr. Stuyck asserts that he had a direct effect on the broad scope of Public Affairs, citing the gradual absorption of Volunteer Services into the Department.

  Mr. Stuyck next explains that he was able to secure a contract to set up the Cancer Information Service in 1974. This was the first NCI-funded initiative to create a public information call-in line, and it was controversial, as most professionals did not believe that laypersons could be sufficiently trained to provide medical information.

  Mr. Stuyck explains how he became principle investigator, and what was involved in setting up the service on this grant, which has run for 30 years for a total of twenty-six million dollars. Mr. Stuyck then provides historical context. He notes that the CIS was part of a larger national effort to open up communication about cancer, to develop advocacy for many groups, and to increase the role patients could play in their health decisions. He also notes that the President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act in 1971 and that knowledge in the sciences was growing at a tremendous pace during this time. He also cites the culture of excellence that existed at MD Anderson in the seventies.

  Mr. Stuyck gives several examples to demonstrate how far cancer treatment has come since the seventies: the first BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) trials that required patients to be scarified; "gruesome" chemotherapy treatments; and treatments that required extreme surgical damage to a patient. He also recalls the first outpatient clinic at MD Anderson, which was very primitive by today's standards.

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  Chapter 04: The Faculty: The Intellectual Engine of MD Anderson

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck expresses his appreciation for the MD Anderson faculty who are the "intellectual engine" of the institution even though they represent only twenty percent of employees. He says he has always tried to understand faculty issues and "speak their lingo." He traces his support for faculty back to his experiences at University of Texas Medical Branch, where he loved attending Grand Rounds. He sketches how issues have changed for faculty and lists the pressures upon them. He also characterizes MD Anderson faculty as possessing great intellectual curiosity.

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  Chapter 05: Expanding the Scope of Public Affairs: Increasing Services for Faculty, Patients, and the Public

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Mr. Stuyck talks about the expansion of the idea of public affairs at MD Anderson.

  Mr. Stuyck explains that after he secured the NCI contract for the Cancer Information Service, "Public Education" was added to the name of the Department of Public Information, going on to detail what education can do for an institution.
  
  Next, Patient Education came under the scope of Public Information, and he explains what sorts of educational materials the department produced. Volunteer Services was next folded into Public Affairs, and Mr. Stuyck explains that he wanted to bring together in one unified division all the functions that would reach out into the public. Next he explains why Public Affairs was sequentially identified as a Department, then an Office, and finally a Division. He comments on the perception of Public Affairs within the institution then goes on to explain some of the many services provided to MD Anderson. He begins by explaining Creative Services then talks about the role Public Affairs played when Dr. Jordan Gutterman [Oral History Interview] and his work on Interferon attracted tremendous media attention. He explains that Dr. Gutterman received 7,000 to 8,000 letters from people begging to participate in his trials. Public Affairs set up a service to answer all of these letters.

  Mr. Stuyck talks about preparing faculty to deal with media appearances. Then he identifies the sections within Public Affairs and notes that he and his management team produced both monthly and annual reports to document the contributions they made to the institution. At the end of this chapter, Mr. Stuyck notes that MD Anderson has generally received very good press. Most of the negative press has come during the last year.

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  Chapter 06: Public Affairs: External Communications

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck explains the changing role of Public Affairs since the seventies. At that time, physicians were not concerned about public relations. He then points to Dr. John Mendelsohn's arrival as a turning point in the institution's dealings with the public: Mr. Stuyck explains how he and others worked with Dr. Mendelsohn to draw greater attention from national and international media, eventually hiring a New York public relations firm, The GabbeGroup (which still works for MD Anderson). He also explains that the single greatest factor to change the institution's media needs was the passing of the self-referral legislation in 1994.

  Mr. Stuyck describes the challenges created when the bill went into effect in 1995 and forty percent of patients could suddenly request their own appointments. He explains that the information service, Ask MD Anderson, was created to help patients navigate the complex institution: it takes 100,000 calls per year.

  Mr. Stuyck next describes several strategies used to raise the institution's profile. He describes the trips that Public Affairs planned for Dr. Mendelsohn, designing them to create more exposure for cancer and the institution. The GabbeGroup suggested that Public Affairs submit profiles on cancer issues to the US News and World Report website. Public Affairs also published surveys on attitudes about cancer and attitudes about breast cancer in Prevention Magazine.

  Mr. Stuyck explains that departments that heavily use Public Affairs services fund positions within the Department. This insures that Public Affairs serves their needs.

  Mr. Stuyck points to the important and productive link between Development and Public Affairs. He then identifies some key moments in the institution's relationship to the public: achieving status as a cancer center; the change in the institution's name in the 1980s; the impact of the Internet.

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  Chapter 07: Public Affairs: Internal Communications

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Mr. Stuyck gives an overview of internal communications in the institution. He notes that, in 2001, MD Anderson was at a crisis point in communications and Public Affairs hired the management group, Deloitte &Touche, to analyze the issues. At this time he proposed to the Management Committee of Public Affairs to establish a section for internal communication. As an example of communication difficulties, he talks about the mistrust created by layoffs in the early to mid-nineties, describing the publications created to address the issue. He compares the paper communications of past decades with the online communications of today. He then talks about new technologies that communications specialists must master today, noting that "it's fun to be around" the new media specialists and to strategize how to use new technologies. He notes that Communications has "reinvented itself" six or seven times in the past decades.

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  Chapter 08: Public Affairs: Writing the MD Anderson Mission Statement and the Code of Ethics

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Mr. Stuyck next talks about his work on two key documents: the Vision and Mission Statement and the MD Anderson Core Values. He explains why there was controversy over the core values.

  Mr. Stuyck gives an example of why the word "hope" was controversial in the Core Values, saying that he was "never a fan of hope," but other committee members convinced him it was key to MD Anderson. He then talks about the impact of the two documents, citing a survey of employees that revealed almost 100% satisfaction with the institution values. Next Mr. Stuyck briefly compares Public Affairs at MD Anderson to analogous departments at other institutions. He comments on the role of the Management Group within Public Affairs and its strategic work in guiding the departments activities and evolution. He briefly comments on how Public Affairs is working with the current controversies surrounding Dr. Ronald DePinho.

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  Chapter 15: A Key Publication: Making Cancer History

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Mr. Stuyck tells the story of how Making Cancer History, a history of MD Anderson came to be written. Dr. James Olsen, a historian at Sam Houston State University, originally approached Dr. James Bowen with the idea, however the Management Board under Dr. Charles LeMaistre had no enthusiasm for the project.

  Mr. Stuyck speculates on why this was the case, then goes on to trace how the Historical Resources Committee was created under Dr. Stephen Tomasovic, with a first goal of producing a history of the institution. He explains the lengthy process of looking for a writer and the eventual hiring of Dr. Olsen, as well as securing Johns Hopkins University Press to publish it.

  Mr. Stuyck recalls that he and Stephen Tomasovic [Oral History Interview] both read the manuscript.

  Mr. Stuyck says that Making Cancer History is a great book that tells history in a human way. He also talks about his favorite chapter. Next he next talks about what it meant for the institution to have a book that celebrates the culture. He speaks about the number of documents James Olsen reviewed as part of his research, the committee members who worked on it, and what was done to promote it.

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  Chapter 16: Changes at MD Anderson

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck gives an overview of the changes he has seen at the institution over the course of his career. He notes that people in the past worked just as hard as they do now, but worked differently. He talks about the dramatic expansions to ambulatory care and patient care in general and the improvement of quality of life issues for patients. He makes some observations on cultural changes and the increasing interest in work/life balance. He then talks about the plan to merge the University of Texas Health Science Center with MD Anderson, a move that was resisted to preserve the institutions mission and resources.

  Mr. Stuyck also talks about changes that Dr. John Mendelsohn brought to the institution, particularly the dramatic growth, for which the institution is now paying the price, he says.

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  Chapter 17: The Murder of Dr. Fred: A Challenge for Public Affairs and the Institution

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck talks about the day that Dr. Fred G. Conrad, Vice President for Patient Care, was fatally shot (17 December 1982). He recalls Elmer Gilley calling him early Friday morning, and he went to MD Anderson to wait for the police and the coroner and to handle the reporters.

  Mr. Stuyck recalls how calmly Dr. LeMaistre handled the situation and helped calm the tension. He then talks about how Public Affairs handled the media, noting that the crisis brought out the best in people at the institution. He describes Dr. Conrad and explains why his murder was a "seminal moment" in the institution. He ends with a story about a woman who had flown into town to be interviewed for a job, arriving at MD Anderson to discover "bedlam" so she returned to New York.

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  Chapter 18: Departments Within Public Affairs

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Mr. Stuyck talks about four departments within Public Affairs: Volunteer Services, the Children's Art Project, Public Education, and Patient Education. He begins with Volunteer Services, a service within MD Anderson that goes back to the 1950s. He then talks about Page Lawson, a director who greatly expanded Volunteer Services in the 1970s. He explains how he came to oversee the Department and tells a story about Tommie Stewart, a volunteer known as "the Hug Lady." He notes that MD ANdserson has 1200 volunteers who contribute the equivalent of 100 full time employees. He mentions the series of directors leading up to Page Lawson, whom he calls "a dynamo." Mr. Stuyck explains the lesson he learned from Page Lawson about remembering the names of volunteers.

  Mr. Stuyck next talks about the Department of Patient Education, created by Dr. Charles LeMaistre. He explains how it came from the first patient satisfaction survey conducted in the 1980s. Dr. LeMaistre used the results of the survey to add valet parking, patient advocates, and patient education functions.

  Mr. Stuyck explains changes in the reporting structure that came about with these changes, as well as the database that evolved to support patient education activities. He sketches the types of materials produced and who works on them. Next Mr. Stuyck talks about the Children's Art Project, beginning with an anecdote: Page Lawson showed him children's drawings arranged on an ironing board and asked him which ones would make a good card. He talks about his decision to separate the Art Project from Volunteer Services.

  Mr. Stuyck describes what the Children's Art Project contributes to MD Anderson. He explains that it gives the institution a chance to talk about its successes. He notes how the Children's Art Project has come to be part of the MD Anderson brand.

  Mr. Stuyck then tells the story of how the Public Education Department started. He comments on his colleagues in the Division of Public Affairs. Finally, Mr. Stuyck talks about what the Department of Public Education does for ME Anderson.

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  Chapter 19: A Fun Job at an Institution that Inspires Commitment

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck speaks briefly about some constraints he felt for his activities at MD Anderson. He notes the commitment employees at MD Anderson feel for what they do and how much job satisfaction employees have.

  Mr. Stuyck speaks briefly about receiving the Anderson Network Award. He also notes that the Division of Public Affairs is one of only three institutions that have twice received recognition as an Outstanding Public Affairs Program. He briefly talks about the book that he received on his retirement, Steve Stuyck, the MD Anderson Years, and clarifies two mysterious references in that book. He then notes that his is most proud to have started the Cancer Information and Public Information services, both of which were groundbreaking at the time. He is also very proud that he engaged the institution's first public relations group. Next Mr. Stuyck talks about what MD Anderson has given him over the years: a rewarding and fun job. At the end of the interview he notes that he gave his job "his all" and hopes that MD Anderson will continue to lift the "huge burden" that cancer represents.

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  Chapter 09: Public Affairs at MD Anderson: Supporting Cancer Prevention and Education

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck begins this chapter talking about a joint project between Public Affairs and the Division of Cancer Prevention. He provides context, explaining that Dr. Bernard Levin (Vice President of Cancer Prevention, [Oral History Interview]) was approached by Channel 13 to do a promotion of the new fecal test for colon cancer screening. He explains how the project turned into a research project supported by SmithKline as well as a public service initiative. Nine thousand people participated in a study to compare fecal testing methods. Laboratory Medicine helped, but Public Affairs organized volunteers to read the cards. This study was eventually published.
  

  Mr. Stuyck explains his axiom that "good public education is the best public relations. He then describes how he used that axiom to make decisions about public affairs is

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  Chapter 10: R. Lee Clark and Charles LeMaistre

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck notes that MD Anderson has been strong because of the continuity of its CEOs. He notes that the institution's first full-time president, Dr. R. Lee Clark, had a solid public relations staff; he also focused on international activities.

  Mr. Stuyck tells an anecdote about accompanying Dr. Clark to a television interview prior to his retirement.

  Mr. Stuyck then talks about Dr. Charles LeMaistre [Oral History Interview], noting that he was erudite and chose his words carefully. Dr. LeMaistre also improved the look of MD Anderson and enhanced the clinical environment.

  Mr. Stuyck notes that paying patients would go to other institutions, but Dr. LeMaistre's initiatives made MD Anderson more attractive, and turned that around. He says that Dr. LeMaistre was very effective at representing the institution to the public. He also contributed to the institution in many ways. One was by making the controversial move of starting the Division of Cancer Prevention. Dr. LeMaistre also led the initiative to change legislation to patients could self-refer. He explains why attitudes of physicians outside of MD Anderson made self-referral controversial at the time.

  Mr. Stuyck notes that the transition to self-referral was very smooth.

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  Chapter 11: John Mendelsohn: MD Anderson's Secret Weapon

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck begins this chapter on John Mendelsohn [Oral History Interview] by noting that he was a "dark-horse candidate" for president. He describes the interview process and how administrators were invited to participate. During an interview session, Mr. Stuyck found Dr. Mendelsohn to be very "energetic and wiry." Mr. Stuyck notes that MD Anderson had been ranked second to Memorial Sloan Kettering, but that changed under John Mendelsohn. He says the Dr. Mendelsohn arrived at just the right time in the institution's history: he describes Dr. Mendelsohn as "MD Anderson's secret weapon." He tells an anecdote about giving Dr. Mendelsohn advice"which he ignored.

  Mr. Stuyck then talks about Dr. Mendelsohn's difficulties with the media during two conflict of interest cases involving his involvement with Imclone and Enron.

  Mr. Stuyck explains how he prepared Dr. Mendelson for interviews with the media. He then describes how Dr. Mendelsohn handled his interview with a reporter from KTRK-TV, Channel 13, Wayne Dolcefino, about expenditures for furniture and art: Dr. Mendelsohn was very forthright and convincing, and the reporter let the story slide without publishing it. He then tells a story about a trip to Washington, D.C. for interviews at the Washington Post and PBS.

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  Chapter 12: Restricted

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

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  Chapter 13: The Changing Organization of Public Affairs

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  A conversation about Cancer Bulletin, published through Scientific Publications, leads to a discussion of how and why Public Affairs has been reorganized over the years.

  Mr. Stuyck says there are rumors that it will be reorganized again, under Dr. DePinho. As an example of reorganization, Mr. Stuyck talks about the Place of Wellness, which he originally managed until he decided he was not in a position to make the necessary medical decisions, so it became the Integrated Medicine Program directed by Dr. Lorenzo Cohen.

  Mr. Stuyck also talks about the unique roles of JoAnn Ward and Louise Villejo [Oral History Interview].

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  Chapter 14: Public Affairs and Communication Tools

  Steve C. Stuyck MPH and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Mr. Stuyck first talks about The Messenger, the first employee communication tool, which has been published for forty years. Next he discusses Conquest, a publication designed to generate awareness of MD Anderson among opinion leaders, donors, and corporate executives.

  Mr. Stuyck talks about how Conquest was started and how it tells the MD Anderson story. He tells an anecdote about putting a donor envelope inside of Conquest with no accompanying solicitation for funds: the envelope alone has generated three million dollars (never less than $25,000 per issue). Next Mr. Stuyck talks about Cancer NewsLine, a series of video news releases launched in 1986 to provide media with news about cancer research and treatment. He describes the impact of these on the institution's reputation. He then talks about the Network Newsletter, launched in 1988 and mailed to all former patients ("a lifeline to the institution"), then moves on to the CancerWise Community Speaker's Bureau and MD Anderson Ambassadors programs, through which MD Anderson employees go into the community to talk about cancer issues. He notes that many within higher levels of the institution were at first suspicious of employees going out into the community.

  Mr. Stuyck then talks about the "Too Cool to Smoke" program for kindergarten through fourth graders. Lastly he talks about Contributions to Making Cancer History (first published in 2007), launched because Dr. John Mendelsohn wanted to address the frequent question What are specific advances that MD Anderson has made against cancer? Mr. Stuyck explains how the approximately 100 advances were compiled and selected, and how Scientific Publications helped edit it to ensure its credibility.

  Mr. Stuyck notes that this is a unique document among academic institutions: the content is now on the website, with about 150 advances included. At the end of this session, Mr. Stuyck tells a story to demonstrate Dr. John Mendelsohn's communication skills.

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  Chapter 01: A Child with a Different Perspective

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler talks about her early realization that she had a different perspective on life than other children her age. She talks about her early affinity for nature when was a child in Connecticut, her fascination with questions about the universe and intuitive grasp of non-duality. She tells an anecdote about how her father would joke with her, inadvertently supporting her growing perspective. She then talks about discovering the Daoist koans, yoga and pranayamic breathing.

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  Chapter 02: Scoliosis Changes Life and Perspective

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Ms. Sumler begins this chapter by noting that she initially aspired to be a dancer. She then narrates the progression of her scoliosis through the seventies and after her spine fusion surgery in 1976 and shares several stories of significant physical and psychological events. She talks about the grieving she had to do because of the blow scoliosis dealt to her identity as a dancer and describes her process of coming to accept her new physical state and identity.

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  Chapter 03: Exploring Massage and Raja Yoga; Cancer is a New Health Challenge

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Ms. Sumler begins this chapter by explaining that she became interested in massage during the year she spent in bed after her spinal surgery for scoliosis and was learning about alternative treatments. She also talks about joining a raja yoga community because of her desire to live a spiritual life; her yogi was the source of her name, Sat Siri, and her yoga teaching practice at Yoga Central. She then talks about her diagnosis with melanoma and describes undertaking yogic death practices to confront this challenge.

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  Chapter 04: Massage and Cancer Patients: A Contemplative Practice

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Ms. Sumler begins this chapter describing how she began to practice massage in 1986 and tells stories to illustrate how "massage is artistic expression." She also notes some myths in the massage community at that time, e.g. that massaging cancer patients would spread their disease through their bodies. Ms. Sumler questioned this belief and decided to know more about massage and cancer. At the same time, family and friends were referring clients with cancer to her for massage. She explains technical aspects of her work with cancer patients.
  
  Next, Ms. Sumler explains how she came in contact with Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson. She describes how she felt a "sense of calling" when she was at the institution. She was first invited to come and teach yoga, but that opportunity didn't work out.

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  Chapter 05: Bringing Massage to the Place of Wellness and Integrative Medicine

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Ms. Sumler explains that she eventually was offered a contract position to offer chair massages for "brief relaxation" in patient waiting areas. She explains why the massage was labeled in that way and talks about progress made in creating an inviting space for patients at the Place of Wellness. She also discusses training she received in massage therapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2002.

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  Chapter 06: Massage: Benefits to Patients

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler talks about what massage offers the cancer patient and tells several stories about patients' reactions to massage. She also discusses the supportive attitude of many MD Anderson clinicians, particularly in rehabilitative and supportive care. She notes that to document the safety of massage in the first three years of the massage program, she took patients' vital signs before and after massage.
  
  Next, Ms. Sumler talks briefly about the value of yoga for oncology patients. She ends this chapter with comments about how massage makes her contemplative practices manifest.

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  Chapter 07: Training Massage Therapists and Building Institutional Acceptance for Massage

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler talks about her work building a training program for massage therapists. She talks about the importance of critical thinking for massage therapists who have been trained to work with healthy populations. She gives examples of how critical thinking comes in to work with cancer patients. She says, "you are not taught what you don't know, and that's what you need to not harm someone."
  
  Next, Ms. Sumler gives examples of how MD Anderson staff have accepted massage as part of a patient's experience and treatment.

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  Chapter 08: Patient Acceptance (or Non-Acceptance) of Massage Therapy

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler talks about why patients in general may resist getting massage, and how cancer patients deal with special issues of vulnerability in massage. She also talks about the positive impact of massage on patients, recounting anecdotes to underscore the role of massage in reconnecting patients positively with their bodies. She also discusses how positive personal experiences with massage can lead patients to consider other complementary services, and vice versa.

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  Chapter 09: Clinician Acceptance (or Non-Acceptance) of Massage Therapy

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler talks about why clinicians may refuse to send their patients for therapeutic massage, usually out of a lack of information about how specifically this type of massage is tailored to the needs and limitations of patients undergoing specific treatments. She gives examples of how she and others in massage therapy opened communications with clinicians to provide education and overcome resistance.
  

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  Chapter 10: Contributing to Research on the Value of Massage

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler sketches her participation in research into the value of massage for patients with peripheral neuropathy and deep vein thrombosis. She also discusses how her own perspective on massage changed through these collaborations. She explains how one study led to a change in the organization of the scheduling of massage.

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  Chapter 11: A Few Words about Yoga and Views on MD Anderson's New Directions

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Ms. Sumler begins this chapter by speaking briefly about teaching yoga at MD Anderson and how acceptance of that service has grown.
  
  Next, she reflects on the new direction MD Anderson seems to be taking under Dr. Peter Pisters, who became the institution's fifth president after Ronald DePinho's resignation. CLIP She says she feels that "a new light is shining" and she sees a new commitment to the institution's commitment to care and compassion and its mission to support both patients and employees. She has hopes that acceptance of Integrative Medicine will continue to grow.

• 

  Chapter 12: Reflections on Contributions and on the Art of Massage, Meditation, and Teaching

  Pamela Sat Siri Sumler and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Ms. Sumler reflects on the contributions that have meant the most to her and stresses that she loves to learn, and will continue to expand her knowledge of therapeutic massage during the rest of her time at the institution. At the end of the interview, she talks about her core identity as a meditation practitioner and an artist. She explains how these two currents combine her view of yoga, teaching, and massage as art forms.

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  Chapter 01: Inspired to Enter Nursing: An Altruistic and Intellectual Profession

  Barbara Summers and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers talks about her family and her mother’s influence as a role model. She sketches her educational background and her path to her first job in nursing.

  Dr. Summers explains that nursing attracted her because it is an interactive profession where the nurse positively influences the experience of another human being. She also underscores that nursing is intellectually rigorous and demands critical thinking skills and the ability to pull together data.

  She next traces her path to college (George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, BSN, 1978). She talks about working as a nurse throughout her program and the mentoring she received from the nurses at her job.

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  Chapter 10: The NIH and an Opportunity to Support Research Nurses

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers explains that she was recruited for NIH Clinical Services to develop cancer nursing research programs for research nurses. Dr. Summers explains Jean Watson’s care theory in greater detail and talks about its connections with transformational leadership. She then goes on to talk about her role at the NCI (where she arrived “knowing zip”): she developed a program to support research nurses proposing their own research projects.

  Dr. Summers gives an example of a project proposed by a nurse on drawing blood. This demonstrates how a nurse brings a unique perspective to care situations and the issues/questions they raise can be quantified to improve care for all patients.

  Dr. Summers next observes that she was a member of the Institutional Review Board at the NIH and learned a great deal about clinical research.

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  Chapter 11: An Opportunity to Work at a World-Class Institution

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers explains that after her experience at the NIH, she took a position in the Clinical Center which presented her with a whole new learning curve. At this point, a recruiter called her about a position at MD Anderson. She tells the story of her interaction with the recruiter and explains that she was interested as a new position would allow her to put her dissertation research into practice.

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  Chapter 2:The Theory and Advantages of Primary Nursing

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers gives an overview of “primary nursing” and its development as a central concept in nursing. She also discusses its advantages for clinical practice and care of patients.

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  Chapter 3: A Focus on Primary Nursing

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers observes that she started in nursing at a key point when primary nursing practice was also beginning, and she selected a hospital that focused in this new area, taking a job taking care of orthopedic surgery patients. She talks her job at a medical surgical ICU and the mentors who encouraged her to think about her career and future, particularly as a leader in nursing.

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  Chapter 4: A Master’s Program Leads to Oncology and to an Interest in Pain Management

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers talks about the impact of her Master’s program on her nursing practice and her vision of her nursing career. She discusses her commitment to oncology nursing and providing “high intensity critical care” to patients and family members.

  She sketches her work history and the impact of working in a chronic pain clinic (not related to oncology). She explains social attitudes toward pain and notes her own subspecialty interest in pain and pain management. She tells a story about successfully using multi-modality interventions to treat an oysterman who was very injured and couldn’t work.

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  Chapter 5: Thinking about Leadership and Nurses as Self-Care Agents

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers describes the impact on her career of her Masters program (MSN, 1981, Advanced Clinical Practice) and her specialization in Advanced Clinical Practice. She explains what that practice meant at the time and how her work in this area helped give her grounding for leadership roles.

  Dr. Summers explains Dorothea Orem’s theory that the role of a nurse is to support a patient in his/her return to optimal heath so they can perform self-care. She stresses that nurses work as partners in a patient’s healthcare: Dr. Summers gives examples of how this works in practice.

  Dr. Summers next talks about how she learned to think differently in her graduate program about self-care and also how she began to realize that she could have more of an impact on care as a leader. Dr. Summers describes her leadership style as “transformational” in that she serves as a role model and inspires people to be at their best.

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  Chapter 6: Learning the Complexities of Nursing Care

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers talks about working at the Greater Southeast Community Hospital after receiving her Master’s. At this inner city hospital she focused on oncology and pain management and worked with great oncologists and physicians. She talks about the impact of working with patients in extreme poverty. She also recalls being nicknamed “LP” for Leader of the Pack –indication that her leadership impulse showed—and she started to see the impact she might have on nursing from a position of leadership.

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  Chapter 7: A ‘Hunger’ for Leadership; A View on the Independent Practice of Nursing

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers begins this Chapter by giving credit to JoAnn Duffy, who taught her many leadership lessons. Dr. Summers talks about different kinds of power. She recalls her involvement in an innovative and eye-opening initiative undertaken at Greater Southeast Community Hospital: a collaborative practice established between nurses and physicians, a first step in recognizing that nurses are not mere “doctor helpers.”

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  Chapter 8: An Evolution of Leadership Experience

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers recalls that she had a “hunger for exploring management” and jumped at the opportunity when a position opened in Hematology at Fairfax Hospital. Dr. Summers explains why she was hired and also recalls that she had to teach herself management as there were no books available at the time. She describes the many functions she had to learn and how they became fascinating problems for her.

  Dr. Summers observes that she has a pattern of taking on positions that demand confidence and competence and she meets them with confidence and sometimes less competence going in than is comfortable for her. Dr. Summers talks about her pattern of taking on positions that demand confidence and competence.

  Dr. Summers gives examples and talks about learning lessons about management people. She then talks about her promotion to the Director of Nursing, which gave her responsibility for many inpatient units as well as for managing leaders. She then talks about her principles for leading managers and leaders to perform at their best.

  Dr. Summers says that her habit of moving to leadership positions without having all the skills for the job is an “illness.” (She says she identifies with an article she read on “The Imposter Syndrome.”) She is constantly driven to perform at higher levels and notes that she made her moves when wanted to do something different. She is good at identifying new opportunities, not at maintaining an institution’s status quo.

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  Chapter 9: A PhD Program and a Theory of Nursing and Leadership

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers notes that she was Director of the Department of Nursing at Inova Fairfax Hospitals for about a year when she felt she was losing her ability for sharp thinking. She decided to go back to school for her Ph.D (though she was still working; Ph.D. Health Care Administration, 1995). She talks about the struggle to get back in the habit of reading and synthesizing information. She also re-evaluated the stresses in her life and moved into a lower intensity job as a nurse educator while she was in her graduate program. Dr. Summers then talks about the ideas she encountered in this program: James Burn’s theory of transformational leadership and Jean Watson’s human caring theory. She saw crossovers between the two and ended up writing her dissertation on this subject.

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  Chapter 12: Joining an Institution that “Grabbed My Heart”

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Here Dr. Summers explains how she joined MD Anderson. She recalls getting a call from a recruiter, but was not really paying attention until she heard the name, “MD Anderson,” and said, “Wait, can you repeat all of that?” Dr. Summers expresses how important it was to be offered an opportunity to work at this institution. She then describes the early interview and how she came to the decision to try for the position at MD Anderson.

  Dr. Summers recalls coming to MD Anderson and standing for the first time in the lobby of the Clark Clinic. She describes how what she saw “grabbed my heard and it hasn’t let go of me.” She recalls sensing hope at the institution. She recalls her meetings with people and her sense that people came to work at MD Anderson specifically because of their commitment to the mission. She notes that even employees not directly related to research or patient care were somehow driven by a sense that they were contributing to the mission, and that “anyone can be instrumental” in forwarding that mission. Dr. Summers notes that even though sad events occur at MD Anderson, but it is a hopeful and joyful place with patients who have a great generosity of spirit.

  Dr. Summers continues talking about her interview process and describes the scope of the role she was to take on as Director of Nursing as well as the four week transition period in which she finalized her work at the NIH and came to Houston.

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  Chapter 13: Roles as New Director of Nursing: Working with Growth in a Matrixed Organization

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers begins with an overview of what she learned about leadership in her new role as Director of Nursing as she adjusted to the peculiarities of the institutional structure.

  She talks about the institution’s organization in matrices, compares it to other institutions, nad notes that at MD Anderson “a lot of what we do seems to happen by magic.” She describes the challenges that arise from this structure at MD Anderson.

  Dr. Summers next talks about the projects she worked on as the new Director of Nursing including the Mays Clinic and Alkek Hospital addition. She offers an example of how a MD Anderson decision-making proceeds and shares her leadership lessons.

  She talks about the financial clarity that Dr. Leon Leach brought to the institution as the new Chief Financial Officer.

  Dr. Summers also sketches how she developed a Professional Nursing Practice initiative. Dr. Summers says that she saw her role as providing the environment where nurses could excel.

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  Chapter 14: Associate Vice President for Clinical Programs: Challenges and Views on Communication

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers sketches her three-year role as Associate Vice President for Clinical Programs. She explains that the role intrigued her because it focused on high-level organizational issues. She talks about working with Physician-in-Chief, Dr. David Callendar and comments on the matrix organization of MD Anderson.

  Dr. Summers next reflects on leadership and tells stories of leadership lessons she learned. She explains that MD Anderson is different from other organizations because of its clinical leaders. She also revisits the issue of the matrix structure in the organization, stressing that there is no infrastructure to engage physician leaders as well as the rank and file.

  Dr. Summers recalls leadership feedback she received from Dr. David Callendar.

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  Chapter 15: Projects as Chief Nursing Officer: MD Anderson’s Magnet Designation; the Nursing Practice Congress; Primary Team Nursing

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers talks about accepting the challenging position of Chief Nursing Officer. She notes that MD Anderson was in the process of preparing for its re-designation as a Magnet Institution (by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center).

  Dr. Summers explains why the Magnet designation is important to MD Anderson and describes how this designation supports the practice of transformational leadership. She explains that it connects to her role as Chief Nursing Officer and her goal of creating an environment in which nurses are in charge of decisions about practice.

  Dr. Summers next talks about the Nursing Practice Congress and the model of Primary Team Nursing model she developed at MD Anderson. She explains how this involves scheduling nursing activities for an entire team and lists the benefits of this model for patients, the institution, and for team members.

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  Chapter 16: Challenges in Nursing Today: Building an Expert Workforce

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers lists challenges she must address as Chief Nursing Officer. First she explains how she had addressed the lack of leadership succession planning when she took on the CNO role. Next she talks about establishing the “Launch into Nursing” program to provide orientation for newly graduated .

  Next Dr. Summers talks about the current nursing shortage and the challenge this presents to building a qualified and expert workforce for the future. Dr. Summers describes her job as creating an environment for nursing practice that will attract the best and the brightest and also retain senior women. She also explains efforts underway to ensure that nurses perform at the top of their license.

  At the end of this session, Dr. Summers speaks about the future of nursing.

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  Chapter 17: An Absence of Women in Executive Leadership at MD Anderson

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Summers observes that since her arrival at MD Anderson, there has been little progress in promoting women and minorities above the level of vice president: executive leadership continues to be white and male. She explains that the impediment seems to be a lack of self-awareness, and offers some examples of interactions that show how senior leadership does not see a problem. She observes that there is a similar problem in promoting women faculty and notes Dr. Elizabeth Travis’ work (Women Faculty Programs [Oral History Interview]) to advocate for women. Dr. Summers explains why the absence of women in leadership limits MD Anderson’s success. She also notes that, in other cancer centers, women serve as senior executives and MD Anderson is an anomaly, even among Houston institutions.

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  Chapter 18: The Division of Nursing: An Overview, the Professional Practice Model, and the Development of Nursing as an Autonomous Field

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers describes the organization of the Division of Nursing and major projects undertaken since she assumed leadership in 2003 to ensure that all membered are appropriately licensed and credentialed and that they are always developing nursing practice.

  Next she speaks in detail about the Professional Practice Model refering to the “quality care model” depicted in an image produced for the Division. (See transcript for image used during this discussion.) She talks about elements of primary team nursing; self-awareness; professional partnerships; and professional recognition.

  Dr. Summers also explains what “achieving autonomy” means for professional nursing and why it is so important to the development of the field. She sketches some of the history of nursing.

  Dr. Summers goes on to explain how a team at MD Anderson created the model, revising a practice model in place when she took over the Division. She unique working environment for nurses at MD Anderson and sketches the varied areas in which they function.

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  Chapter 19: A History of Nursing at MD Anderson

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers sketches the history of nursing at MD Anderson, beginning with the work of Renilda Hilkemeyer (interviewed for OHP). She discusses the contributions of former Nursing directors Joyce Alt and John Crosley, who led MD Anderson to its first Magnet designation.

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  Chapter 20: Activities as Chief Nursing Officer; Creating a New Academic Department of Nursing; The Future of Nursing at MD Anderson

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers talks about her activities as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chair of the Department of Nursing, and offers her views on the futures of the Department and Division of Nursing.

  She first talks about her appointment to the position of CNO in 2003 and sketches her main activities to develop patient care, the Professional Practice Model, the Clinical Nurse Advancement Program and the Nursing Practice Congress. She ensured that MD Anderson has Ph.D..

  Next Dr. Summers explains a legacy she feels she is building faculty hires in a new Department of Nursing to create an academic Department of Nursing equivalent in status to other departments. She observes that the creation of the Department of Nursing was not controversial. She offers her views on the future of the Department of Nursing.

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  Chapter 21: Promoting “Top of License” Nursing Practice; the Future of Nursing at MD Anderson

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Summers talks about the future of the Division of Nursing. She explains the importance of ensuring that nurses are practicing at the “top of license,” noting that in the future nurses will work as coordinators of care. She explains some of the resistance she anticipates from stakeholders and nurses as the role of nurses changes and they are not available to perform roles (that are not “top of license”) currently expected of them. She notes that this change in nurses’ roles will transform MD Anderson Culture;.

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  Chapter 22 New Healthcare Delivery System; Nurses and Work with Patients and Families; the Future of Nursing

  Barbara Summers PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Summers offers her views on how changes in the healthcare delivery system are affecting the institution and influencing changes in the practice of nursing.

  She first sketches the financial pressures and “mindboggling” challenges of the current healthcare environment.

  Dr. Summers goes on to describe the ways that nurses are uniquely positioned to attend to patients and families because of their education and roles in care.

  [the recorder is paused briefly]

  She then describes the institution-level Patient and Family Experience Executive Committee and notes ways she had already been addressing family issues.

  Dr. Summers explains how she is addressing value-based care by focusing on clinical teams.

  Dr. Summers next talks about the next steps for the field of nursing.

  Dr. Summers concludes with words about how she would like to be remembered.

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  Chapter 01: A Veterinarian Father Involved in the New Field of Laboratory Animal Medicine

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey talks about her family and experiences growing up in an agricultural area of Illinois with a veterinarian father. In particular, she tells the story of how her father came to be a community veterinarian and then, as a result of the Vietnam War, spend twenty years in the Air Force, working in the relatively new field of Laboratory Animal Medicine conducting animal research for the space program.

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  Chapter 02: An Interest in Living Medicine

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey sketches her early educational experiences. She notes that her family didn’t have a lot of animals. However, she had an affinity for science from an early age and notes that she thought in terms of “living medicine” with ideas of going to medical or veterinary school. She explains that she had many women classmates in veterinary school due to the state-wide need for vets and it was easier for women to work with large animals, given the availability of injectable drugs.

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  Chapter 03: Faith Shapes a Feeling for Animals; Work that Contributes to Human and Animal Health

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey talks about her the connection between her religious beliefs and the approach she takes to working with animals.

  She begins by noting that she was educated in catholic schools, where she had a very good experience. She now attends a Baptist church and she explains some of the elements of her deep sense of faith. She explains that her feeling that “you’re here for a reason bigger than you” greatly influences her work. She explains that she has a deep respect for life and a commitment to benefit the welfare of animals, though she also has a strong conviction that there is a difference between humans and animals.

  Next Dr. Tinkey explains that working with animals in a research setting can be “emotionally tough” for veterinarians, given the experimental procedures a veterinarian must conduct. She talks about how she copes with this and sees her role as making an animal’s life as good as possible. Referring to the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, she says, “That’s what we do here.” Dr. Tinkey states that working in veterinary medicine at MD Anderson is her way of contributing to both animal and human health.

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  Chapter 04: Speeding Through to Private Practice

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tinkey observes that if she were able to repeat her high school and college experiences, she would “slow down.” She notes that she worked very hard in college, taken heavy course loads and winning an acceptance to veterinary school during her sophomore year. She also married and divorced, which influenced her decision to join the Mission Bend Animal Clinic (’83 – ’89), a pet animal practice, as she was a single mother.

  Dr. Tinkey sketches the lessons she learned in private practice then briefly notes that she opened her own practice in 1984.

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  Chapter 05: Opening a Practice and Steps into Academic Medicine

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey explains how she came to open her own veterinary practice, the Prestonwood Animal Clinic, and the lessons she learned.

  She also discusses how she began to consider how there might be more she could do with a veterinary degree, leading her to take a year out for a pathology fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine (’87 – ’88). She explains how the fellowship came about through a “cold call” to Fran Doppel, who created a position for her as Clinical Veterinarian in the research animal area. Dr. Tinkey explains the importance of specialty certification for a professional working this area and why it was not possible to obtain at that time in her life.

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  Chapter 06: A Chance Opportunity to Work at MD Anderson and Earn Specialty Certification

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey explains how a client who brought a monkey into the veterinary clinic led her to call Ken Gray at MD Anderson. Dr. Gray later contacted her to talk about a job opportunity. She explains what attracted her to take a job with MD Anderson in ’93.

  She next explains that Dr. Kim Vargas had been named chair of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery the year before. Tinkey explains her role –to help with a study that Dr. Kian Ang was conducting on 100 rhesus monkeys.

  She also talks about looking for opportunities to publish and sketches the requirements she had to meet for board certification. She explains that Dr. Gray provided her with protected time to study for the certification exams.

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  Chapter 07: Departmental Roles and Strengthening Veterinary Care for Animal Colonies

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey explains the administrative organization of various sections within the department and the roles she served to build the department during the nineties. She begins by explaining that Dr. Kim Vargas had organized the department in sections and assigned her to lead the Section of Laboratory Animal Medicine, which required an understanding of catheterization and a focus on herd health. She also notes that she was tracked to take over as Department Chair.

  Dr. Tinkey explains how the Department needed to change in focus to serve the research needs at MD Anderson, developing more regulatory medicine and a focus on colony health surveillance and biosecurity. She says she needed to embark on a “crash course on rodent biology and diseases” and realized that the department didn’t offer the same kind of medicine for rodents/mice as it did for large animals. She notes in particular that the department did not offer a surgical training program for investigators working with mice. She explains that, in part, this had to do with the perceptions that PIs brought to their work with mice as experimental animals and the role they expected veterinarians to play in studies. Dr. Tinkey explains that veterinarians are much better integrated into research teams now than they were in the nineties.

  At the end of the interview session she explains that pain management for rodents is one of the most ignored areas in research animal medicine. She explains assumptions that researchers make about animal pain and how pain can influence research results. She notes that at MD Anderson now, every animal that received survival surgery also gets pain medication.

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  Chapter 08: A Brief History of Animal Medicine at MD Anderson

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey sketches the history of animal medicine at MD Anderson. She explains that the first president, R. Lee Clark, saw the value of having a veterinarian on staff and hired the first vet, Dr. John Jardine, in the sixties or seventies before a department of veterinary medicine had been established. She says she believes the department was founded in the seventies, with Dr. Cliff Stevens hired as the first pathologist.

  Now, she notes, there are two veterinary departments as well as the primate center at the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research. She explains that it was unusual for a cancer hospital to have a chimpanzee research colony and that this took vision. Dr. Tinkey sketches administrative reorganizations in veterinary medicine.

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  Chapter 09: The Importance of Departmental Accreditation and a Snapshot of Veterinary Medicine at MD Anderson

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey talks about the importance of accreditation in keeping MD Anderson research abreast of advances in the field of animal medicine. She draws a comparison with hospital accreditation and sketches the origin of the peer review system with AAALAC [Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care], founded in 1965. She notes that MD Anderson was the 183rd institution to be accredited, indication of early adoption of care methods.

  Next Dr. Tinkey explains what is involved in the extensive review process, providing a snapshot of the issues of concern to her, as Chair of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. She notes that accreditation is part of department culture now and keeps the department constantly changing and improving.

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  Chapter 10: Preparing to Take on Leadership of the Department

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tinkey explains that the growth of the department has been connected with Dr. Kenneth Gray’s vision and his role in mentoring her to take over as department chair. She talks about the areas of skill that leadership has required, noting the assertive temperaments of veterinarians at MD Anderson.

  She talks about the value of the Faculty Leadership Academy and the challenges this training has enabled her to meet.

  Next, Dr. Tinkey mentions changes she instituted once Kenneth Gray retired. Specifically, she expanded the approaches taken to large animal care into the area of rodent care: she hired four additional veterinarians and reorganized the department (in 2006) to create a Section of Compliance and Rodent Clinical Care.

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  Chapter 11: Taking on the Chair Position and Building Veterinary Medicine and Surgery

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey talks about several changes she brought to the department once she took over as chair.

  She begins by explaining that from 2006 – 2006 she was serving as chief of the Section of Experimental Surgery and Imaging Support. She loved the job, she explains, and took on the chairmanship out of a sense of loyalty and duty to Dr. Gray.

  She then provides an overview of the vision she brought to the role: having a centralized veterinary surgical service. She explains that research benefits when veterinarians are involved, bringing “surgical judgement” to animal research methods. She gives examples, discussing aseptic technique and leg amputations, noting that the latter creates chronic pain which, left untreated, can alter research results.

  Next, she talks about changing departmental culture so that faculty and staff are all interested in “electronicizing” whenever possible (her term), i.e. always exploring how technology can help them perform better. She gives several examples: capturing information for datamining to evaluate workflow; using an iPhone to trouble shoot after-hours problems with animals; using a 3D printer to create a device to anaesthetize baby rats; creating an electronic medical records system for rodents.

  She explains the importance of the EMR for rodents –an in-house written program (later replaced with a commercial version). This allowed for individual health care for valuable rodents. (Mice can cost $150 each.)

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  Chapter 12:The Impact of Successful and Unsuccessful Research Studies

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey talks about the impact two research studies, one successful and one unsuccessful.

  She first discusses Kian Ang’s radiobiology study that she participated in when she was first hired. She explains that the study was designed to determine of the maximum dosage for radiation delivered to the spinal cord was valid. Dr. Ang determined that it was not, allowing for higher doses and new lifesaving procedures for patients. Dr. Tinkey talks about her role on this study as clinical veterinarian and explains that this result has an impact on her commitment to animal research.

  Next, she talks about a plastic surgeon’s attempts to test an artificial trachea in dogs. This study failed because a proper biomaterial was not available. She explains that the failure of the tracheas created serious post-surgical complication in the dogs, forcing the PI to abandon the study. She also notes that the complications were very upsetting: one technician wanted to bring in IACOOC and a controversy broke out in the department over the value of this kind of experimentation. She talks about the value of having conversations about the humanity of animal research.

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  Chapter 13: Building the Rodent Population and An Overview of MD Anderson’s Genetically Engineered Mice

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey sketches the growth of the rodent facilities administered by the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and describes the genetically engineered rodents that many MD Anderson researchers use. Rodent facilities have grown in tandem with the growth of MD Anderson research.

  She notes that the first significant expansion occurred in 2006 when the rodent facility was moved from its old location in the Jones Freeman Building to the new location in the Mitchell Research Building [BSRB]. Dr. Tinkey describes the “state of the art” caging systems that the Department invested in in order to reduce labor costs. She explains that the Department aims include identifying space to grow, sustaining the growth rate and achieving workforce efficiency. To demonstrate adherence to these aims, she talks about the roboticized cage washing system that has helped the Department maintain efficiency and control costs as the number of rodent cages has increased by twenty-five thousand between 2006 and 2016. She next sketches additional increases and some administrative changes in handling the rodent population. She notes that the Department is beginning a renovation to add another 8500 rodent cages.

  Next, she talks about the genetically engineered mice that are important to MD Anderson research. She explains that “humanized mice” are “little avatars that grow a human tumor to generate a PDX or patient derived xenograft. She goes on to describe immune-deficient mice and nude mice, the latter being a “huge foundation” of cancer research that require a sterile environment with consequent special handling. She notes that the institution has invested over a billion dollars in animals for research, including genetically engineered mice that have been developed at MD Anderson.

  Dr. Tinkey next talks about the Department’s emergency plans instituted to protect this investment. She recalls being at Baylor and the loss of thirty thousand animals during Tropical Storm Alison. MD Anderson keep animals in basements and protects animals with flood mitigation plans and on-call staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. She discusses the link between the Department’s Veterinary Emergency Plan and the institution’s Emergency Plan, noting the Department instituted a disaster plan as part of the accreditation process. She explains that MD Anderson’s plan is “very mature.”

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  Chapter 14: Thanks to Mentors, Family, Colleagues

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey thanks people who have had an impact on her career, including her parents, her husband and children, several mentors, colleagues, and members of faculty, and staff in her department. She tells a story to demonstrate the dedication and passion of her faculty and staff.

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  Chapter 15 An Exemplary Animal Care Program; Why Animals Are “Unsung Heroes”

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tinkey begins this chapter by outlining what has been accomplished in the Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery under her leadership. She notes that the department was recently given a “glowing external review” and was called “an exemplary care program,” indicating that “we have done a lot of things right.” She says she is most proud of the fact that the department is a “high-functioning team,” despite the fact that veterinarians are passionate, opinionated people who frequently disagree.

  Next, to give context for her discussion of why animals are key for cancer research, Dr. Tinkey recalls going to a lecture where she learned that the imperative for modern animal research came from the Nuremberg Trials and discussions of war crimes including experimentation on human beings. Dr. Tinkey concludes that animal use is a “humanitarian principle.”

  Next, she talks about the need to use many different species of animals for research. She notes that animals are “powerful research tools” in service of work that will benefit patients. However, she asserts, “they aren’t little test tubes. They are sentient beings.” This sentiment, she says, brings humanity into the research process. She talks about why animals are the “unsung heroes” of research and how they are deserving of respect throughout the research process.

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  Chapter 16: The Gulf Coast Consortium Postdoctoral Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey explains her role in creating the Gulf Coast Consortium Postdoctoral Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program, part of the Department’s education mission. She notes that former chair, Dr. Ken Grey, always has a fellowship position he usually awarded to a veterinarian in private practice who was exploring other careers. When she took over the chairmanship, there were 25 – 30 veterinarians at the Texas Medical Center and she had the idea to link these professionals and institutions to create a training program. Dr. Suzanne Craig, she notes, was responsible for setting the program in place and launching it in 2006. She talks about the numbers of fellows involved and where they have found positions after leaving.

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  Chapter 17: Behind the Driven Professional: A Creative, Funny Personality

  Peggy T. Tinkey DVM and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tinkey provides a glimpse behind the professional persona. She notes that she is very focused and driven at work and that’s how colleagues know her. However she is a fun-loving jokester outside of work and enjoys many creative activities. She confirms that her creative side comes out at work, first in the poetry she writes for department celebrations. She gives an example by singing the parodic lyrics she wrote to the Soft Cell song, “Tainted Love.”

  Next, Dr. Tinkey talks about her humor and creativity help her as an administrator (work that is not her first love).

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  Chapter 01: The Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Project

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic provides an overview of the Historical Resources Center –which he founded-- and the Making Cancer History Voices Oral History Project that it oversees.

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  Chapter 02: Vietnam Trains an Administrator

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic talks sketches his educational background and describes the significance of his military service. Drafted as a college senior, his service in Military Intelligence during the Vietnam War not only gave him focus for his later graduate studies, but also strengthened specific characteristics and skills that would eventually suit him to a career in administration.

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  Chapter 03: Choosing Cancer Research

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic traces the evolution of his interests in graduate school, eventually leading him to focus on cancer research.

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  Chapter 04: Joining the Department of Tumor Biology at MD Anderson

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic talks about coming to MD Anderson in 1980 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Tumor Biology (now Molecular and Cellular Biology). He explains that this was the period when Dr. Charles LeMaistre [Oral History Interview] and Dr. Frederick Becker [Oral History Interview] were bolstering the basic sciences. He explains how he re-evaluated his career, and shifted toward a focus on administration.

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  Chapter 05: The Cancer Biology Program

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tomasovic begins this segment with comments on MD Anderson’s perceived weaknesses in basic research. He talks about the important role that graduate students serve in driving research at an institution and how they were integrated into departments at MD Anderson. He then describes his first “forays into leadership”: e.g. during 1986-’88 he created and directed the multi-disciplinary Program in Cancer Biology (first called Interdisciplinary Studies in Cancer Biology) in the Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences.

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  Chapter 06: Fostering Innovation and Multi-disciplinary Research

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic talks about how interdisciplinary work –at MD Anderson and in general-- is crucial to treating cancer and fostering creativity in research.

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  Chapter 07: Academic Affairs: Administrative Structure and the Role of the Vice President

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic provides an overview of the administrative structure of the Division of Academic Affairs and his responsibilities as Senior Vice President.

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  Chapter 08: An Ability to Work With and Within Structure

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic reflects on his leadership style and how this has facilitated his effectiveness. He notes how he came to the attention of James Bowen, then Vice President for Academic Affairs, who worked with him in creating the Faculty Senate (Dr. Tomasovic was the first Chair, ’91-93), and who appointed him Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (1994). The session closes with a sketch of the institutional flux in play during 1998 when Dr. Mendelsohn [Oral History Interview] assumed leadership of MD Anderson.

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  Chapter 09: The MD Anderson Presidents: Continuity of Leadership

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tomasovic begins this segment with the observation that MD Anderson is unusual because of the long tenure of its key leaders and administrators. He characterizes the three presidents and gives examples of how the institution successfully met the managed care crisis. He notes that the institution has faced strong, external financial challenges at the transitions between Dr. LeMaistre and Dr. Mendelsohn and Dr. Mendelsohn and Dr. DePinho.

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  Chapter 10: A Lesson About Leadership and an Institutional Blind Spot

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this chapter, Dr. Tomasovic shares a story that taught him lessons about leadership.

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  Chapter 11: Institutional Reorganization and Becoming Vice President of Academic Affairs

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tomasovic begins this segment by sketching the administrative restructuring that occurred when Dr. John Mendelsohn arrived as institution president. He also described Dr. Margaret Kripke's [Oral History Interview] plans for restructuring Academic Affairs' and his role in this process. Dr. Tomasovic notes that Dr. Kripke expected him to iron out a range of difficulties arising among faculty.

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  Chapter 12: The Education Council, Sister Institutions, and Views On Leading Faculty

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic gives numerous examples of how he has built educational culture at MD Anderson through, for the formation of The Education Council (2001), strengthening faculty development initiatives, serving as Vice President of Extramural Programs (to become Global Academic Programs).

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  Chapter 13: The Faculty Senate and a Vision of Faculty Influence

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tomasovic begins this chapter by sketching the history of the Faculty Senate. He discusses term-tenure then expands on the idea that the Faculty Senate was part of a larger vision of building faculty control over the governance of the institution. Dr. Tomasovic also explains how he came to found the Faculty Leadership Academy (1991), devoted to nurturing leadership qualities of faculty.

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  Chapter 14: A Mark Left on Education and Faculty Achievement

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  This interview takes place a few weeks before Dr. Tomasovic’s retirement. Dr. Tomasovic closes the session with comments on his hopes that MD Anderson preserves its educational mission, which distinguishes it from other care-delivery institutions. He also hopes that his efforts to foster leadership among the faculty will endure.

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  Chapter 15: Serving as Special Assistant to Dr. Oliver Bogler

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic talks about his role as Special Assistant to the Provost. Dr. Tomasovic begins by describing the transition-support role he will serve in the coming year, assisting Dr. Oliver Bogler, who took over Dr. Tomasovic’s position as Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. He discusses how he and Dr. Bogler are finding ways to link activities in Academic Affairs to the mission of the new MD Anderson president, Dr. Ronald DePinho. He gives examples of how he and Dr. Bogler are streamlining the bureaucracy of Academic Affairs to help faculty and graduate students as well as supporting Dr. DePinho’s mission.

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  Chapter 16: Changing Institutional Focus Under a New President

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Tomasovic begins this segment by comparing the leadership styles of John Mendelsohn [Oral History Interview] and Dr. DePinho, whose charisma, decisiveness and vision are reminiscent, he feels, of R. Lee Clark. Dr. Tomasovic talks about the impact of Dr. DePihno’s “Town Hall” session on 7 November 2011, when he announced that MD Anderson will now take a Moon Shot approach to curing cancer, focusing on five specific cancers (not yet announced). Dr. Tomasovic speculates on the cultural shifts this focused mission will create, influencing the commitment to global oncology, and educational programs.

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  Chapter 17: Academic Programs under a New President

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic notes Dr. DePinho’s commitment to graduate education and research. He describes the many discussions currently taking place in Academic Affairs to insure that all activities are in line with the new directions the institution is taking. He this segment with comments on his optimism that Dr. DePinho will steer the institution in positive directions.

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  Chapter 18: Travel, Photography, and a Story about Meerkats

  Stephen Tomasovic PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic talks about his retirement, noting that he has more energy now that he can spend more time taking care of himself. He talks about getting back into the photography and he has planned several of the eco-travel trips he and his wife enjoy, including a trip to India to see tigers. He tells an amusing anecdote connected to a photo snapped of him during his first trip to Africa: he is reclining in a meerkat colony, with meerkats perched on his hat and hip. He tells of sending that photo for use at the awards banquet when he was elected to the UT Academy of Health Science Education. Popping up amid the formal shots of other awardees, his photo caused a lot of reaction among the attendees. At the interview’s close, he returns to the subject of Dr. DePihno, noting that the focus on institutional growth caused MD Anderson to lose some of its connection to people –a key part of the culture that R. Lee Clark established. Dr. DePinho’s “common touch,” he believes, will help turn the culture of MD Anderson back to those roots. In this segment, Dr. Tomasovic also talks about the human side of R. Lee Clark.

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  Chapter 05: Gender Issues at MD Anderson and the Creation of Advocacy and Equity Services for Women

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Travis explains how a movement to address women’s issues began in the eighties. The University of Texas System had convened a Commission on Women and Minorities. She also notes that Dr. Margaret Kripke, a major player in these events, came to MD Anderson in 1983. Dr. Kripke put together a small, ad hoc group to work on the status of women at MD Anderson. Included were: Elizabeth Travis, Lillian Fuller, and Judy Watson (Dr. Charles LeMaistre’s “right hand”). They conducted a study (1984) and found inequities: unequal pay for women; women took longer to be promoted, women were not serving on committees or as department chairs or in high-profile positions. Dr. Kripke took the data to Dr. LeMaistre and the Vice President of Research, Dr. Frederick Becker. She notes that women themselves were generally not aware of the inequities prior to the report. Next, the ad hoc group started the Women Faculty Organization to work for access to opportunities for women. She explains why it was important that senior women comprised the core groups. She also reflects on how the activities of the group were received.

  Dr. Travis next talks about the rationale for putting together the book, Legends and Legacies, one of the first projects of the Office of Women Faculty Programs.

  Dr. Travis tells a story about a table in the dining room of the Clark Clinic where men always ate their lunch. She recalls a day when the women involved in the Women Faculty Organization reserved it, much to the men’s shock. She talks about how humor was important as she and others worked for visibility for women. She tells how the “dining table” incident developed and showed a shift in the culture.

  Next, Dr. Travis explains how the Office of Women Faculty Programs operates, stressing that women alone cannot make these changes to culture, the men in the institution must also be engaged. She talks about some measures of success: e.g. in 2007, nine out of the eleven faculty receiving faculty achievement awards were women. She goes on to talk more about the evolution of the early movement to address gender issues, when the faculty group was expanded to include women on the administrative side, as changes were not happening fast enough. In 1996, Dr. Travis observes, another survey was conducted about women in leadership confirming few women in high positions. At that point, Dr. Travis notes, Dr. Margaret Kripke was Chief Academic Officer and was in a position to correct inequities and identify rising-star women. Dr. Kripke was also on the point of retiring and concerned that she would leave a vacuum at the leadership table. (She was the first and only woman to date to sit on the President’s executive committee.) Dr. Travis explains that Dr. Kripke hired consultants (Wanda Wallace and one other consultant) to suggest plans of action. The idea for a dedicated office addressing women’s issues was formed. Dr. Travis applied for the position (and she explains why she decided to slow down her research career at this point), as she had always been passionate about gender issues.

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  Chapter 06: The Office of Women Faculty Programs: Activities and Challenges

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Travis describes some of the main projects developed through the Office of Women Faculty Programs (which opened in 2007). She begins by describing the book, Legends and Legacies (published 2008), that brought together personal narratives written by MD Anderson’s key women scientists and clinicians. She notes that she worked with Mary Jane Schier, Steve Stuyck, and Maria Dungler in the Public Affairs Office. She also explains the rationale behind the photograph best associated with the book: a group photo of the featured women dressed in cocktail dresses. She notes that it was inspired by an Annie Liebowitz photograph, but also notes that the group photo stresses that “We have to build communities of women.” She describes the book launch events and the impact of the book on the institution, noting that the book put a different and more human face on the women of the organization.

  Next Dr. Travis describes several early activities of Women Faculty programs, including the website and its monthly online feature, “Women Leading the Way.” She also describes setting up the Kripke Legend Award to honor people who promote and women: it is a highly competitive in cancer medicine and is awarded to women and to men.

  Next Dr. Travis describes reactions to the Office’s activities: “Male colleagues were not happy,” and Dr. Travis explains that she was described as “too strident.” There are still naysayers, she observes. Next she describes how she learned to address complaints after a particularly difficult set of personal attacks. She went to Dan Fontaine in the UT System for advice. He said, “Do a survey of Division and Department heads about Women Faculty Programs.” She explains the results and discusses how important it was that she reported the results at the Research Council and Clinical Council –transparency that did a great deal to change the tone of reactions to her work.

  Dr. Travis explains that the Office of Women Faculty Programs is an independent office that reports directly to the Provost.

  Dr. Travis stresses that the focus of the Office of Women Faculty Programs is to promote women into leadership positions. She explains that women leaders bring a different perspective and different problem-solving strategies to institutions when they are in leadership roles.

  Dr. Travis explains some of the changes in culture she has observed at MD Anderson: for example, men on search committees now will say, “There are no women.” Dr. Travis then explains that many people resist thinking about gender as an issue because they feel they are being accused of not being fair-minded. At the end of this session, she talks about how she handles this and how the institution has changed.

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  Chapter 1: A Passion for Science Leads to Radiation Physics

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Travis talks about her family background and the educational track that led her to a career in radiation physics. She explains that she is a second generation Italian-American raised in the small town of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. Her family owned a bar/restaurant and she grew up working in there from an early age, developing her work ethic in the process. Though her parents had only finished high school, both insisted that their children go to college.

  Dr. Travis notes that she knew very early that she was interested in the sciences, but observes that ideas about careers for women at that time were very limited, and she thought of becoming a dancer or a flight attendant until tenth grade (at Westinghouse Memorial High School). At that point her biology teacher, Mr. Smith, had a great mentoring influence. She describes how Mr. Smith brought together all the science-focused students in her class into a community (where gender was not an issue). He helped her parents understand that she should go to college for the sciences, though she was encouraged to become a teacher at that point.

  Dr. Travis attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (B.S. 1965) and notes influences important during this period, including a course in radiation physics and an opportunity she took to work in a radiation physics laboratory at the University of Pittsburg during a summer. Dr. Travis explains her decision to go to graduate school for her Masters program. She mentions her marriage at the end of her first year in graduate school and how that influenced the path of her early career, taking her to South Carolina.

  Dr. Travis talks about her involvement in training and the satisfaction she take in developing young minds. She shares her philosophy of mentoring: listening to identify where an individual needs help, offering constructive advice when needed.

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  Chapter 2: Choosing Opportunities to Develop a Research Career: A Growing Awareness of Gender Issues

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Travis explains that she was working as a Research Associate in the Department of Radiation Health, (1965−1967) Radiobiology Laboratories, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA) when she realized that she missed the laboratory. She accepted a position that involved teaching and starting up a laboratory at the Department of Radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC, 1968−1971). >P>Dr. Travis recounts a story that she often tells women to demonstrate how women professionals often don’t believe in themselves. She explains that she was offered a position teaching and starting up a laboratory for the Department of Radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, (1968−1971). She first turned the job down. “I had PhDs telling me I could do the job, but I didn’t believe it.” She immediately regretted the decision and called back the next day, taking on that challenge as well as the opportunity to work for her Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina.

  Next Dr. Travis talks about her evolving awareness of gender issues. She explains that she had always been aware of gender. She notes that she attended a very good high school (Westinghouse Memorial High School) where she felt that boys and girls were treated equally. She also notes family influences on her sense of equality. Dr. Travis then talks about how the sixties and limitations on women that are unimaginable now.

  Dr. Travis also recounts an experience of sexism she had in the Department of Radiation Therapy at the Medical College of South Carolina. She had been hired to set up a laboratory, however when the head of the department hired a man to assist her, he offered this inexperienced new hire $4000.00 more in salary than Dr. Travis was paid “because he had a family and children.” Her salary was increased by $4000 (but no more). “We think it’s a meritocracy,” Dr. Travis says. “But it’s not true. You have to know how to promote yourself.”

  Dr. Travis next tells about her decision to go overseas after completing her PhD. The University of South Carolina wanted her to stay, but she wanted to develop her research career and applied for post-doctoral programs, taking a position in London as a Research Scientist (lecturer) in the Department of Radiation Biology at the Mount Vernon Hospital Gray Laboratory (Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom, 1976−1979). Dr. Travis explains that the Gray Laboratory was a “Mecca” of radiation therapy and she was selected for their postdoctoral program because of her work on radiation and normal tissue.

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  Chapter 3: The Start of a Research Career on the Effects of Radiation on Normal Lung Tissue

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  In this Chapter, Dr. Travis explains how her research career really began between 1976−1979, when she was a Research Scientist/Lecturer at the Gray Laboratory (Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom). She notes that “they took a chance on her,” as she had never been awarded a grant, but they saw potential and recognized that she had knowledge of lung pathology and radiation therapy. This was key, as the field of radiation therapy was starting to focus on the effects of radiation on normal tissue. Dr. Travis lists the researchers who were at the Gray lab at that time. She talks about the atmosphere and notes some lessons in mentoring she received from the laboratory head, Jack Fowler.

  Next, Dr. Travis describes a collaborative project she undertook to develop a non-invasive assay of lung tissue after irradiation that involved measuring the breathing rates of mice as they developed lung damage from radiation therapy. She describes the rationale of the study as well as the challenges of measuring the breathing rate of mice. She describes the device she and her colleagues developed to measure breathing rates (see Figure One) and notes that this was the first time that anyone had measured breathing rates as animals developed lung damage from radiation.

  Next she notes that it was very hard to get the field to accept the findings and describes how she and her colleagues addressed this by arranging for their measurements to be confirmed. With that evidence gathered, their paper was published (1977/78). Dr. Travis next describes one regret: that she didn’t patent this device and another (described below): both have been picked up by companies and are still being sold thirty years later.

  Next Dr. Travis describes the “jig” she developed to immobilize non-anaesthetized mice for irradiation (see Figure 2). This was developed to simulate how patients are irradiated in the clinic and Dr. Travis explains how they were working with fractionated doses.

  Dr. Travis goes on to describe more of her work at the Gray Laboratory and why it was such an ideal environment. She talks about the goals she had set to achieve in London and notes that at the end of her three years there, she had an independent research career.

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  Chapter 4: Furthering a Research Career at MD Anderson

  Elizabeth L. Travis PhD and Tacey A. Rosolowski PhD

  Dr. Travis begins this Chapter by explaining that she was aware of MD Anderson throughout her career. After her post-doctoral fellowship at the Gray Laboratory, she was recruited to serve as Cancer Expert at the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 1979−1982) and she was recruited by Lester Peters for MD Anderson in 1982. Next Dr. Travis explains how her work on radiation damage to normal lung tissue in mice had implications for patient care. She describes some experiments conducted to explore radio-protectors, radio-sensitization, and strategies for changing the fractionation of beams to do less tissue damage. She undertook this work at MD Anderson and mentions individuals she worked with and the seminal data produced showing that it was better to use a lot of radiation on a small area of tissue to do the least damage to normal disuse.

  Dr. Travis notes that she came to MD Anderson as an Associate Professor and she was the only woman in the Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology. She describes the department as very vibrant, one of the best in the field, and she brought her focus on normal tissue, which no one else was researching at the time. She also observes that the Department “took a chance” on her, as she had no grant funding at the time. However her first R01 grant proposal was funded; she also had a program project grant.

  Dr. Travis describes how writing grant proposals helped her develop as a researcher during her first years at MD Anderson. She explains how a grant proposal creates a road map for an experiment and forces the researcher to articulate hypotheses and think about a research question in a holistic way. “You see it from 35,000 feet,” she says.

  Dr. Travis compares her experience at MD Anderson with the environment at the NCI.