Call Number:

CPP 9/02-02

Repository:

Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Extent:

5.2 linear feet (13 document boxes)

Language:

English

Date:

1971-2005 (inclusive)

Creator:

College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Office of the Executive Director, O'Donnell, John M., Micozzi, Marc S., Langfitt, Thomas W., and Hochberg, Mark

Form:

Correspondence, Financial records, and Minutes

Abstract:

The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff including staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, communications, membership, and special events. The records in this collection document the everyday administrative activities and governance of the College, and span the years 1971 to 2005. Materials consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, pamphlets of outside organizations, financial reports, minutes, and agendas. This collection is divided into five series. The first series, Governance, contains documentation regarding committee meetings, finance, and operations. The remaining series house the records of specific executive directors: John M. O'Donnell (1987-1994), Marc Micozzi (1995-2002), Mark S. Hochberg (2002-2005), and Thomas W. Langfitt (2002-2005).

Established in 1967, the Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in the general administration of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The College of Physicians is not an academic organization, as the name suggests, but a not-for-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to advancing the cause of health and upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. It was founded in 1787 by twenty-four prominent Philadelphians, including John Redman (1722-1808), elected first president of the College; John Morgan (1735-1789), founder of America's first medical school; and Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and vigorous advocate of many humanitarian and social causes. The current administration of the College stems from Benjamin Rush's original proposed method of governance, which consisted of the Council, President and the Board of Trustees. It is the goals and mission set forth by this governing body that the Executive Director is expected to achieve.

Governance of the College is facilitated by a number of committees, the council (or board of trustees), and a board of advisors that are composed of fellows of the college and nominated into their positions. The Office of the Executive Director oversees the general mission of the College, as well as its staff, the College's strategic plan, and budget. It also evaluates all of the College of Physicians' activities, ensuring that the policies established by the College of Physicians' governing board are upheld.

The Executive Director oversees the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, and the Francis Clark Wood Institute. The Historical Medical Library at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia collects books and information regarding medical history and related topics. The Mütter Museum collects items relating to the history of medicine and medical anomalies. The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine's goal is to promote the historical resources of the College of Physicians to the academic community. It provides funds for memberships and a scholar in residence program, and sponsors conferences, seminars, and travel grants to researchers. The Executive Director also oversees the institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, and membership of the College. More specifically, the Executive Director builds and maintains relationships with donors, potential donors, and fellows of the College. The Executive Director's responsibility is to foresee that the College and staff are operating to achieve the strategic plan as well as facilitate the creation of educational programs and services that fulfill the College's mission statement. The Executive Director also oversees the creation of successful programs and events at the College, such as lectures, discussions, and seminars. Past Executive Directors include John M. O'Donnell, Marc Micozzi, Mark Hochberg, and Thomas W. Langfitt.

John M. O'Donnell replaced William F. Chaveas as Executive Director in 1986 and ended his own term as Executive Director in 1995. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, John M. O'Donnell was the Director of the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Delaware and the Director of Development and Public Relations at the Delaware American Heart Association. He also served as a Development Associate for the College of Physician's 150th Anniversary Capital Campaign. O'Donnell earned a M.A. degree in American History from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Marc Micozzi was the Executive Director of the College of Physicians from 1995 to 2002. He was a former member of the College of Physicians Board of Advisors. Micozzi was both a physician and an anthropologist and received his M.D., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His past experience included serving as the Director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine and as a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. His career focus was on advancing the use of complementary and alternative medicine.

Mark Hochberg filled the position of Chief Executive Officer after Marc Micozzi from 2003-2004. He earned degrees from Brown University and Harvard Medical School, focusing on surgery in his medical career.

Thomas W. Langfitt served as President from 2002-2004. After receiving his undergraduate degree in biology from Princeton University in 1949, he attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After earning his medical degree, Langfitt eventually became the head of neurosurgery at Pennsylvania Hospital and the Charles Harrison Frazier Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania. His other experience includes serving as President of the Pew Charitable Trusts from 1987 to 1994 and establishing Philly Health Info, a health resource website with basic health information for the Philadelphia community.

Established in 1967, the Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff, including the staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, membership, and programs and special events.

The records of the Office of the Executive Director are divided into five series.

Series I: Governance consists of papers regarding the overall operations of the College of Physicians on Philadelphia. The Finance subseries contains papers regarding external audits and financial affairs of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. A folder from the Office of Finance and Accounting regarding the Pew Loan Fund includes information on how the College of Physicians of Philadelphia used funds starting in 1961. The Board of Trustees and Executive Committee subseries contains meeting agendas and minutes from the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee. Also included in this subseries are meeting minutes of the Annual Fellowship Meeting and itineraries and audiotapes from meetings and retreats of the Council. The Sections series encompasses the work and itineraries of different College Sections. Special Projects series covers special initiatives of the College, including the search for a new Chief Executive Officer and details about the George E. de Schweinitz Memorial Lecture and Dinner. The Standing and Ad Hoc Committees subseries has meeting agendas and minutes from the governing committees of the College of Physicians. The Legal subseries concerns legal matters regarding the College of Physicians. Included are drafts for employee benefits and papers regarding incidents of fraud. These materials are restricted. The Operations subseries comprises the management of the Historical Medical Library and Mutter Museum. Collections management materials, descriptions of services, and correspondence make up the bulk of the series. Of note is correspondence to and from Gretchen Worden, former Director of the Mutter Museum.

Series II: The "John M. O'Donnell" series dates from 1987 to 1994. It consists of papers fellowship development and annual report of the executive director. Materials of interest in this series include papers regarding the Francis Clark Wood Institute. These papers contain documents outlining the structure and function of the Wood Institute, as well as papers regarding staffing and governance.

Series III: The "Marc Micozzi" series dates from 1995 to 2002. Covered are staff meetings and strategic planning. Communications with College committee and board members, as well as other health professionals, are represented in Correspondence. Of note are communications about disaster planning for the Mutter Museum. Also represented are special projects, such as the Sunday Breakfast Club.

Series IV: The "Mark S. Hochberg" spans the years of 2002 to 2005 and consists mainly of correspondence, the majority of which pertains to networking and communications with other museum and health professionals suring his time as Chief Executive Officer.

Series V: The "Thomas W. Langfitt" series dates from 2002 to 2004. Correspondence covers Langfitt's communications that are both personal and professional in nature.