Henry Ford Hospital - Historical Highlights: 1960s - 1970s

Robert H. Durham, M.D. published the Encyclopedia of Medical Syndromes. Dr. Durham began his career at Henry Ford Hospital in 1922 and was the Physician-in-Charge of the Division of General Medicine in 1927.

In June, Henry Ford Hospital sponsored a polio vaccine program for three hours in the hospital parking garage. The event was under the direction of Edward Quinn, M.D. of Infectious Disease. Dr. Quinn once worked with Albert B. Sabin, M.D., developer of the oral polio vaccine. During the event, 1500 individuals were vaccinated against the crippling disease -  438 cars came through the garage and 400 families participated.

The Henry Ford Hospital Collection Department was redeveloped to include the use of computers. This began the use of automation at the hospital. Read more about the hospital's introduction into the computer age.

Clarence S. Livingood, M.D. became the team physician of the Detroit Tigers Baseball Club, a position he held until 1997. Dr. Livingood also initiated the development of sports medicine at Henry Ford Hospital.

The hospital's ten-bed, coronary care unit opened under the direction of cardiologist Gerald R. Breneman, M.D.

George Mikhail, M.D. began using a technique called "chemosurgery," now known as Mohs micrographic surgery, to treat certain types of skin cancer. The technique involved chemically treating cancerous tissue at its site, then surgically removing it to be microscopically examined. Dr. Mikhail studied under Dr. Frederic Mohs, who conceived the technique, at the University of Wisconsin General Hospital.

Drs. Charles B. Wolf, James A. Peterson, Lester Weiss, and Gerald A. LoGrippo published a groundbreaking research article, "Ring 1 Chromosome and Dwarfism - A Possible Syndrome," in the Journal of Pediatrics. 

Henry Ford Hospital's Division of Cardiology began using implantable pacemakers. 

The first organ transplant at Henry Ford Hospital took place on January 4. The allogeneic kidney transplant was performed by Drs. D. Emerick Szilagyi, Roger F. Smith, Joseph P. Elliot, A. Waite Bohne, Alejandro Gonzalez, Frederick W. Sherrin, and John A. Hageman.

The hypertension research clinic was established under Oscar Carretero, M.D.

Stanley G. Dienst, M.D. was appointed chief of the Department of Transplantation. 

Dr. Conrad R. Lam conducted the first aorta-coronary saphenous vein bypass graft at Henry Ford Hospital.

The hospital credit union opened in the basement and was operated by hospital staff. This credit union is believed to be one of the first of its kind inside a hospital. 

The Henry Ford Hospital Genetics Laboratory opened and conducted early research under Drs. Charles E. Jackson, Boy Frame, and Lester Weiss on the Amish communities in the Midwest. Dr. Jackson, along with a team of scientists, identified a genetic defect that contributes to a type of muscular dystrophy.

Drs. Melvin A. Block and Charles E. Jackson are among the first in the country to use calcitonin testing for the early detection of medullary thyroid cancers.

The Department of Psychiatry was established as an independent department from Neuropsychiatry. 

Nathan W. Levin, M.D. became the first chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. Dr. Levin was influential in establishing dialysis services throughout the health system.

Stanley Nelson joined Henry Ford Hospital as the Executive Director. He became Vice-President in 1994.

In partnership with Henry Ford Hospital and other community organizations, the Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS) opened in Southwest Detroit.

Jonathan Parsons, Ph.D. of the Edsel B. Ford Institute, Department of Physics and Biophysics, was honored by the hospital. Dr. Parsons developed methods of x-ray diffraction in the analysis of biological and medical compounds and substances which was significant in work with kidney stones.

Mary Logan, M.D. began the first Henry Ford Hospital Pediatric Multidisciplinary Clinic with Dennis Lynn, M.D.

Philip Hessburg, M.D. and a group of doctors founded the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.

The hospital opened the computed tomographic (CT) scanner in the Department of Radiology. It was the first in the state of Michigan.

The first renal transplant to a diabetic patient in Michigan was performed by Stanley Dienst, M.D.

Henry Ford Health System opened its first satellite medical center in Troy. The Troy location originally housed the base of the hospital's financial services but was re-opened with new outpatient services and renal dialysis clinics.

The Pelham Community Health Station, located inside Pelham Middle School, opened as an outreach Henry Ford health facility available to local residents in the community. 

Lester Weiss, M.D. became chair of Pediatrics in 1974. He is known for his research in birth defects, mental retardation, and genetic diseases. In 1980, Dr. Weiss also became chief of Medical Genetics.

Sidney Goldstein, M.D. was appointed chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Goldstein is a pioneer in cardiovascular clinical trials and a specialist in the prevention of sudden cardiac death. 

The Fairlane Medical Center opened in Dearborn under the direction of Bruce Steinhauer, M.D.

The West Bloomfield Medical Center opened with Charles Wolf, M.D. as its medical director.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute was founded at Henry Ford Hospital under Paul Stein, M.D.

The Benson Ford Education and Research center was dedicated by former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Benson Ford, the Ford family, hospital trustees, and staff. The seven-story, $12 million building became the new center for research and scientific experimentation at the hospital.

Employees at Henry Ford Hospital held the first Olympiad on July 29. Read more about the beloved employee charity event.

Henry Ford Hospital opened the Sleep Disorders and Research Center under the direction of Thomas Roth, Ph.D. It was first sleep center in Michigan and only the eighth center of its kind in the country. 

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery performs HFH's first hip bone transplant. Dr. Edwin R. Guise, Jr., chief surgeon on the operation, used transplanted bone to save the right leg and pelvis of a woman who faced amputation due to non-spreading cancer. 

James Ausman, M.D. became chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Ausman was a premier neurovascular surgeon who published extensively on vascular neurosurgery.

The Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery began under Robert S. Brown, M.D.

Joseph Beninson, M.D. and Joseph Madej, Henry Ford Hospital film director, were awarded the Golden Eagle Award from the Council on International Non-Theatrical Events (CINE) for the motion picture "Pressure Gradient Prophylaxis of Thrombosis." Dr. Beninson worked extensively throughout his career studying pressure gradient dressings for the management of venous ulcers.

Metro Health Plan forms a cooperative alliance with Henry Ford Hospital and is renamed Health Alliance Plan (HAP). HAP affiliated with Henry Ford Health Care Corporation in 1986, resulting in significant growth for both systems