DOCTORS ' LOUNGE
DOCTORS ' LOUNGE
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DR POLK ’ S FIFTY YEARS OF LIFE AND MEDICINE IN LOUISVILLE - PART 1
In early August , Dr . Hiram C . Polk Jr . and I thought it would be a good idea to sit down and talk about his past 50 years in Medicine with a capital M . His legions of students , patients and faculty have an abiding interest in his opinions , and we have produced a good sampling of them for you , organized in a Q & A format . We spoke together right before his annual sojourn at Saratoga Racecourse . Dr . J . David Richardson was still with us , then .
For you young ’ uns , Dr . Hiram C . Polk Jr . chaired the Department of Surgery at the University of Louisville from 1971- 2005 . He is the Ben A . Reid Sr ., MD , Emeritus Professor of Surgery and continues as the director of the Trauma Immunological Research Lab at UofL and in the Price Institute of Surgical Research . He built a faculty who pioneered trauma and burn treatment and who prioritized surgical research and teaching . Dr . Polk set a very high bar and with his faculty and residents , raised it time and again . He set the standard , and they remarkably almost always met it .
Q1 . How have changes in Louisville affected you and the downtown medical center ?
A1 . Staying here since 1971 has a lot of advantages for me , including a long memory , both personal and institutional . What helped the Medical Center most was the city-county government merger in 2003 ; it helped us to recruit new faculty . There were not enough women in academic surgery , at all , and the merger helped me recruit them : it opened new neighborhoods , newer housing and new social opportunities . Mayors Abramson and Armstrong had a lot of hurdles to get over with the police unions , but they managed beautifully , and both the city and its law enforcement thrived . There are many people to thank , but having only one set of regulations and zoning to contend with was a big improvement .
AUTHOR Mary Barry , MD
Dr . Polk on rounds at Louisville General Hospital , 1972
Another huge asset to recruiting both faculty and residents here was the enlivenment of downtown Louisville . Building the Yum ! Center revitalized Main Street in a constructive way , and I hope that will all come back from this past year ’ s changes when basketball starts . Tom Jurich focused on impressive new facilities for all sports , turning us into a major league town for college sports . Doctors are like most people , they mostly like sports and it is true that people who practice often enough to be good at ath-
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