University of Chicago Medical Center

Kirsner was the Chief of Staff of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics and Deputy Dean for Medical Affairs in the Division of the Biological Sciences and The Pritzker School of Medicine from 1971 through July 1, 1976. He made the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics a place focused on patient care and a common place for other doctors to refer patients. It was already a top-notch research center, but patient care was not a prioritized concern prior to Kirsner becoming Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, Kirsner was regularly available to staff members and patients alike to assist them, answer questions, and provide individual focus and care, which was new for the hospital. Kirsner left a tremendous impression on everyone while he was in charge.

While Chief of Staff at the University of Chicago, Kirsner began to study the history of medicine and the gastroenterology field, as they both held a strong interest in Kirsner. Not only did he publish new and revolutionary works about IDB, but he also wrote multiple papers about the history of medicine, including “The Growth of Gastroenterology Education in the United States”, “The New University of Chicago Hospital, Yesterday,
Today, Tomorrow, 1927-1980-2030”, and “A look back: Gastroenterology at the U of C.”

Chief of Staff Welcome - Looking Ahead, July 1, 1974.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 55, Folder 9, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

From Dr. Kirsner to the Clinical Faculty and House Staff at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, it is "pertinent for all of us concerned with the best in patient care."

"Problems, Policies, and Plans" Kirsner's address to the faculty of the University of Chicago Medical School when he became Chief of Staff.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 4, Folder 13, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Letter from Dr. Kirsner to the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center announcing his retirement, December 29, 2009.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 4, Folder 5, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Letter from Dr. Kirsner to Doctor Jacobson stating that he is resigning from being Deputy Dean for Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, January 6, 1975.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 55, Folder 9, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Letter from Dr. Kirsner to Akyllas Anagnostides, MD, about identifying "major scientific discoveries and those other developments and events contributing to the advance of Gastroenterology during the 20th century." February 2, 1993.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 55, Folder 8, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

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Letter from Dr. Kirsner to Dick Walt about the "history of the origins of American gastroenterology" and being intrigued by a picture of "anesthesiology pioneer published in the April 18, 1986 issue of the American Medical News." April 24, 1986.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 67, Folder 6, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Notes from Dr. Kirsner about the history of the University of Chicago.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 3, Folder 13, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Unknown date.

"The Scientific Growth of Gastroenterology During the 20th Century, The 1994 G. Brohee Lecture." by Joseph B. Kirsner, MD, PhD, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Vol. 40, No. 9, September 1995.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 46, Folder 17, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

"A Look Back: Gastroenterology at the U of C." by Dr. Kirsner, Medicine on the Midway, Winter 1987.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 44, Folder 32, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

"The New University of Chicago Hospital - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, 1927-1980-2030." by Dr. Kirsner, circa 1970s.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 43, Folder 19, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

"Inflammatory Bowel Disease-What is Known and What is New: A 1989 Overview" by Joseph B. Kirsner, MD, PhD, April 1989.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 45, Folder 12, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.