Oral History Collection

The oral history program of the Duke University Medical Center Archives exists to capture the medical center's history in the words of the people who have witnessed or participated in that history. The interviews consist of relevant memories from persons in many different work environments within the medical center as well as selected interviews with those outside the medical center who have stories significant to its past or its present. The interviews are conducted with the considerations set forth in the guidelines of the Oral History Association. Interviews are recorded and then transcribed as closely as possible to the words of the speakers, and each interviewee is given a chance to review the transcript. Both the recordings and the transcripts are housed in the Duke University Medical Center Archives.

Although its oral history program was not officially established until 2003, the Duke University Medical Center Archives has a number of rich oral histories dating from the 1960s to the present, some of which are available for research. If you are interested in an interview that is in process, please contact the oral history program coordinator. The archives oral history program is attempting to open as many of these past interviews as possible, and unrestricted interviews conducted from 2003 will become available for research after they have been carefully processed for accuracy and quality.