Department of Medicine Housestaff and Chief Residents Photograph Collection, 1951-2012

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Health Sciences Library
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library
University of Virginia Health System
P.O. Box 800722
1350 Jefferson Park Avenue
Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Amanda Greenwood
Phone: (434) 924-0052
Phone: (434) 982-0576
Phone: (434) 924-5444

Summary

Creator:
University of Virginia
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of 178 folders containing photographs from the University of Virginia Department of Medicine (DOM). Images include Housestaff and faculty group photographs (1957-2008), Chief Resident group photographs (1973-2012), and individual Chief Resident portraits (1951-1999). Additional images include two undated group photographs of DOM Department Chairs and a photograph commemorating a class award given to the Class of 1993. The images provide a visual history of the department over a span of six decades. Subjects in the Chief Resident portraits are identified, and some individuals in the group photographs are also identified, though many are unidentified at this time. The images were created by various photographers hired by the University of Virginia Health System.

Biographical / historical:

The University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine's Department of Medicine, first called the “School of Internal Medicine,” was established by Dr. Richard Henry Whitehead, a 1887 graduate of the UVA School of Medicine. Dr. Whitehead became Dean of the School of Medicine in 1905 and reorganized the medical program at UVA soon after his arrival out of a desire to improve facilities and clinical training, hoping to enhance the quality of medical education at UVA. Part of the reorganization included creating separate departments for internal medicine, obstetrics, and pathology. Dr. John Staige Davis was designated the first chairman of the Department of Medicine (then called the School of Internal Medicine) in 1906. Dr. Davis was succeeded as chairman by Dr. James C. Flippin (1927-1939), Dr. Harvey E. Jordan (1939), and Dr. Eugene N. Landis (1939-1943). Dr. Henry Beardon Mulholland served as chairman of the Department of Medicine through the end of World War II and the immediate post-war period (1943-1949), during which time the number of residency applicants to the department greatly increased. Dr. William Parson chaired the department from 1949-1966, a period of significant growth for the entire School of Medicine, including a steady increase in faculty positions and salaries. Dr. Parson was followed by brief tenures of Dr. Byrd S. Leavell (1966-1968) and Dr. Daniel Mohler (1968-1969).

In 1969 Dr. Edward W. Hook was appointed chairman of the department. Dr. Hook’s twenty-one year term also saw substantial expansions; in 1969 there were 41 faculty members in the School of Medicine, including 7 full professors, 16 associate professors, and 18 assistant professors. By 1978 there would be 35 full professors, 17 associate professors, and 39 assistant professors, a total of 91 faculty members. In light of this growth, Dr. Hook created subspecialty groups within the Department of Medicine, designating each a separate and semi-autonomous division of the department. Dr. Hook was followed as chair of the department by Dr. John C. Marshall (1991-1996), Dr. Munsey S. Wheby (1996-1997), Michael O. Thorner (1997-2006), Robert M. Strieter (2006-2010), and Mitchell H. Rosner (2010-present, 2014). Throughout this time the Department of Medicine’s Internal Medicine residency program has consistently attracted top resident candidates from across the country.

The hospital's Housestaff consists of the current group of medical residents, interns, and fellows who are both working in the hospital and receiving additional specialized training from medical faculty members. The Housestaff of the Department of Medicine has grown tremendously over the years; in 1920 there was only one resident in the department, that number increased to fifty-four by 1975. During the 1940s residents were led by one Chief Resident; in 1951 the number of Chief Residents was increased to two. In 2014 the Department of Medicine Housestaff included nearly 100 individuals, including four Chief Residents.

Acquisition information:
The photographs were transferred by Daniel Cavanaugh and Emily Bowden to the University of Virginia Claude Moore Health Sciences Library from the Department of Medicine on 16 September 2014. The photographs in this collection were displayed on the 6th floor of the 1941 Hospital Building at the University of Virginia prior to their transfer to Historical Collections. The transfer was organized by Terri P. Washington, Administrative Assistant for the Department of Medicine.
Arrangement:

Materials are grouped by category and arranged in folders by chronology.

Physical description:
4 boxes with the dimensions of 5.5 inches x 10 inches x 15.5 inches