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The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Oral History Project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who have chosen to share their experiences. The viewpoints expressed in the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Oral History Project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaim any liability therefore.
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| Collection: | Making Cancer History Voices Oral History Collection |
| Interviewee: | MacDonald, Eleanor |
| Interviewer: | Marchiafava, Louis |
| Title: | Eleanor MacDonald interview |
| Dates: | May 19, 2000 |
| Abstract: | Eleanor MacDonald talks with Louis Marchifava about her early life and education in New England; her early career in the Cancer Division in the American College of Surgeons; her recruitment and subsequent work at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute; her work in developing the biostatistics coding in the early years of the institution; and her relationship with various physicians and luminaries of the Texas Medical Center. |
| Collection Id.: | OH-Macdonalde-20000519 |
| Original Format: | Audiocassette |
| Format: | 1 streaming video file and 1 interview transcript |
| Interview Length: | 3 hours |
| Language: | Materials are in English |
| Repository: | Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Biographical Note
| Eleanor MacDonald was born on March 4, 1906 in Sommerville, Massachusetts to Angus and Catherine MacDonald. She attended and graduated Radcliffe College in 1928. At Harvard Medical School, she studied under E. Bidwell Wilson which led to her eventual appointment as the Epidemiologist to Boston's State Cancer Program. Her work there lead to the publishing of her seminal work "The Incidence and Survival in Cancer" in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1948. Her work in New England caught the attention of Dr. R. Lee Clark who recruited her to be the head of the newly created Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. During her tenure she developed a 200-code method for transcribing patient charts that provided statistical information to M. D. Anderson's physicians and researchers. She retired from the institution in 1982 and had been serving as professor emeritus since 1974. She was among the first female scientists inducted into the Texas Medical Center Hall of Fame. She passed away in Houston, Texas on July 26, 2007 |
Restrictions
| Restrictions on Access: | This interview contains no restrictions. |
| Restrictions on Use: | All requests for copying of materials must be submitted to the Historical Resources Center in writing for approval. All reproductions will be handled by HRC staff. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce must be obtained in writing by the Historical Resources Center. |
Index Terms
| Subjects (Persons): | Macdonald, Eleanor J. |
| Subjects (Organizations): | University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center -- history |
| Subjects: | Epidemiology |
Administrative Information
| Provenance: | The interview was conducted between Eleanor MacDonald and Louis Marchiafava on May 19, 2000 in Houston, Texas. |
| Preferred Citation: | Eleanor MacDonald Interivew, May 19, 2000, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. |
| Processing Information: | Oral history was edited by Jose Javier Franco Garza |
