Oral Histories
As a way of celebrating our history, as well as the great diversity among our members, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine presents an oral history session at each annual meeting. A longtime or founding member is interviewed, sharing both their personal journey to the field of adolescent health or medicine, and their involvement with SAHM as well.
Here is a selection of interviews recorded at recent SAHM meetings. Click each image to view the video(s) featuring these exemplary SAHM members.
SAHM Oral History with Rachel Levine, MD
Longtime SAHM member, Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine, Dr. Rachel Levine sat for the 2019 oral history at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.
SAHM Oral History with Linda Bearinger, PhD, MS, RN, FSAHM
Dr. Bearinger joined Dr. Carol Ford to talk about her academic career between Minnesota, Colorado and Pennsylvania. She has been an active member of SAHM and the international community for many years. In 2009 she was elected president of the IAAH and previously won the SAHM lifetime achievement award.
SAHM Oral History with Charles E. Irwin, Jr., MD, FSAHM
The 2017 Annual Meeting included an interview with Charles E. Irwin, Jr., MD, FSAHM, a SAHM past president and current editor of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Dr. Irwin grew up outside of Boston before going to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, where he also became a professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine. Dr. Irwin has also led the federally-funded Leadership Training Program in Adolescent Health since 1977, many of whom were in the audience that day.
SAHM Oral History with Richard C. Brown, MD, FSAHM
The 2014 Annual Meeting included an interview with Richard C. Brown, MD, FSAHM, a former director of adolescent medicine at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of pediatrics at UC San Francisco. A past president of SAHM, Dr. Brown devoted much of his career to juvenile justice issues and care for homeless and at-risk youth.
SAHM Oral History with Evelyn Eisenstein, MD, DSc
The 2013 Annual Meeting included an interview with Evelyn Eisenstein, MD, DSc, a renowned international figure in the field of adolescent medicine. Dr. Eistenstein completed her fellowship under Dr. Felix Heald, a founding father of the field, and has since developed a robust adolescent medicine program in her native country of Brazil.
SAHM Oral History with Abigail English, JD
During the 2012 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, past president Marianne Felice interviewed Abigail English, JD, an ardent advocate for adolescents’ rights and a past president who led the organization through many changes. How did a lawyer become a president of SAHM?
SAHM Oral History with David Bennett, AO, FSAHM
David Bennett was not only interviewed for the 2010 Oral History but also thrilled the audience with an incredible performance on the piano as music was engrained in him from a young age. In 1977, he pioneered Australia’s first hospital-based adolescent medical unit subsequently encompassing an adolescent ward with a vibrant youth arts program, and an innovative community-based service for homeless young people, also linking health and the arts.
SAHM Oral History with Natalia Tanner, MD
The 2009 Annual Meeting included an interview with Natalia Tanner, MD, a former SAHM Board member and award winner. Dr. Tanner built her career in spite of encountered discrimination and blazed a trail for African Americans in the medical profession.
SAHM Oral History with Richard MacKenzie, MD, FSAHM
The 2008 Annual Meeting included an interview with Richard MacKenzie, MD, FSAHM, a past president of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Dr. MacKenzie is an international leader in the field of medical illness in adolescents and a holistic approach to its understanding and management. His research and clinical focus has been on contemporary issues that impact the lives of today’s youth, such as drug and alcohol use, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, violence, and eating disorders.
SAHM Oral History with Elizabeth McAnarney, MD
The 2006 Annual Meeting included an interview with Elizabeth McAnarney, MD, a past president of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and a longtime educator and researcher. She has focused much of her work on understanding and treating anorexia nervosa in adolescents.
