News & Events > News & Events Archive > Spring 2007

EPIC Lecture Series

Thursday, March 22, 2007, 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
"When the Famous Get Sick and the Sick Get Famous: How Celebrity Patients Influence Medicine"
Barron H. Lerner, Angelica Berrie-Gold Foundation Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health
Harison Room, Second Floor, Faculty House
Reception begins at 3:00 pm
Lecture, with a PowerPoint presentation, begins at 3:45 p.m.

Professor Barron H. Lerner, Angelica Berrie-Gold Foundation Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Mailman School of Public Health, will give a talk entitled "When the Famous Get Sick and the Sick Get Famous: How Celebrity Patients Influence Medicine."

Stories about celebrity illnesses, such as those of Lou Gehrig, Brian Piccolo, Steve McQueen, Arthur Ashe, Elizabeth Glaser, and Michael J. Fox, have informed patients about treatment options, ethical controversies, and scientific proof. But they have also assumed mythical characteristics that may mislead the sick and their families. Based on Dr. Lerner's new book, When Illness Goes Public, this talk will explore how famous patients have come to play an increasingly important role in the world of medicine and public health.

About Professor Lerner:
Dr. Lerner received his M.D. (1986) from Columbia and his Ph.D. in history (1996) from the University of Washington. His book, The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear and the Pursuit of a Cure in 20th-Century America (Oxford University Press), received the William H. Welch Medal of the American Association for the History of Medicine and was named one of the 26 most notable books of 2001 by the American Library Association. Dr. Lerner has published extensively in scholarly journals and regularly contributes essays to the Science Times section of the New York Times. He has also appeared on several NPR programs, including Fresh Air, Science Friday, and All Things Considered. Dr. Lerner's latest book is When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine (Johns Hopkins, 2006). In addition to his research, Dr. Lerner practices internal medicine and teaches medical ethics and the history of medicine at the Columbia Medical Center.

EPIC Tuesday Luncheon Conversations
12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

February 6  "The Purge of Heads of State and Heads of Government in Post-World War II Europe"
Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus of History
Read conversation transcript with appendices (PDF)

February 13  Unstructured conversation

February 20  "Mass Learning of Psycho-Social Competencies"
Winthrop R. Adkins, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education, TC
Read conversation summary (PDF)
Visit Web site

February 27  Unstructured conversation

March 6  "Acoustical Design of Opera Houses and Concert Halls"
Cyril M. Harris, Charles Batchelor Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Professor Emeritus of Architecture

March 13  Spring Recess

March 20  Unstructured conversation

March 27  "Creative Thinking, Inventions, and Innovations"
Bashir Zikria, Special Lecturer and Clinical Professor Emeritus in Surgery

April 3  Unstructured conversation

April 10  "Some Scary Thoughts on Privacy, Security, and Technology"
Bruce Gilchrist, Senior Advisor for Information Strategy; Adjunct Professor of Computer Science, Retired

April 17  Unstructured conversation

April 24  "A View From Low Library Forty Years Ago"
Paul D. Carter, Office of the President, Retired

May 1  Unstructured conversation

Events of Special Interest

Columbia College Dean's Day Lecture
Saturday, March 31, 2007, 10:45 a.m.–11:45 a.m.
Ask for location at CC Dean's Day registration desk in Lerner Hall
"Their Drug Problem and Ours: The Challenge of Pharmaceutical Company Marketing to Medical Professionalism"
David Rothman (CC '58), Bernard Schoenberg Professor of Social Medicine and Professor of History; Director, Center for the Study of Society and Medicine; Director, Center for Medicine as a Profession

In Memoriam

Samuel Devons, founder and president emeritus of EPIC and professor emeritus of physics, died on December 6, 2006. We grieve the passing of our dear friend and colleague, and offer our condolences to the members of his family whom he served so well and to whom he was so devoted. Yet we also celebrate Sam's distinguished career and many contributions to science and the Columbia community. In advance of the memorial service in Sam's honor to be held this spring at Columbia, we share with you herewith his obituary prepared by those who worked with him and loved him. Read his obituary in Columbia News.

The London daily newspaper the Independent requested an obituary of Sam from Professor Emeritus of Physics Frank Sciulli, an EPIC fellow and Sam's colleague. This expanded version of the Columbia obituary was prepared in consultation with Sam's family. Read his obituary in the Independent.

The New York Times printed a brief obituary for Sam on December 18, 2006. Read his obituary in the New York Times.

The Times (London) printed an obituary for Sam on February 9, 2007. Read his obituary in the Times (London).

Read the four remembrances of Sam by his EPIC colleagues Robert Belknap (PDF), Maristella de Panizza Lorch (PDF), Frank Sciulli (PDF), and Seymour Topping (PDF).