David Becker, MD Papers

Collection

Identifier: US-NNCORMA-RGPPM-014

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Scope and Contents

David Becker, MD papers provided a good overview of his professional activities as the director of the Nuclear Medicine Division and his expertise in thyroid disease and the effects of radiation exposure of nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl. His papers are divided into eleven series: Correspondence Series I (1984-1991), Correspondence Series II (1968-1988), Correspondence Series III (1956-1996), Correspondence, Personnel (1955-1983), Nuclear Medicine Administration (1955-1992), Nuclear Medicine Renovations (1956-1988), Grants and Financial Records (1955-1987), Nuclear Medicine Research (1955-1988), Chernobyl (1972-2006), Committees (1956-1994), and Speeches and Papers (1958-2003).

Dates

1955 - 2006

Conditions Governing Access

Historical records in the Medical Center Archives are protected by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), internal policies requiring protection and confidential handling of PHI (protected health information), FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), or other institutional polices regarding internal or confidential records, and may require additional permissions prior to access. Some records in this collection are restricted and require additional permissions prior to access. View the container inventory for more information and visit the Medical Center Archives website for the most updated policies and procedures regarding access to historical materials containing restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials from this collection cannot be reproduced outside the guidelines of United States Fair Use (17 U.S.C., Section 107) without the advance permission of the Medical Center Archives of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine or the copyright holder. In the event that anything from the collection become a source for publication, a credit line indicating the Medical Center Archives of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine is required.

Historical records in the Medical Center Archives are protected by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) and internal policies which require protection and confidential handling of all protected health information (PHI). Materials containing PHI, personally identifiable information (PII), and/or student information (protected under FERPA) have been restricted and require additional permissions prior to reproduction and use.

Please visit the Medical Center Archives website for the most updated policies and procedures regarding reproduction and use.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. David Becker was born ca. 1923. He earned an A. B. in 1943 and a M.A. in Psychology in 1944 from Columbia University. He received his MD degree from New York University Bellevue College of Medicine in 1948. After graduation, he received further training at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (1948-1949), Maimonides Hospital of Brooklyn (1949-1950), Memorial Hospital (1950-1952), and New York Hospital (1952-1955). He was the chief of the Radioisotope Laboratory at Brooke Army Medical Center in Forth Worth, TX from 1952-1954. In 1955, he was an instructor of medicine and radiology and assistant radiologist at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. At the same time, he established the Radioisotope Laboratory, which later became the Division of Nuclear Medicine. He rose in the ranks to attending radiologist in 1971, attending physician in 1975, professor of radiology in 1972 and professor of medicine in 1975. He retired in 1995 from the director of the Nuclear Medicine Division but continued to practice at the medical center until his death in January 2010.

Dr. Becker was a pioneer in the use of radioactive isotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease. He was an expert on thyrotoxicosis and thyroid cancer. He was involved in numerous committees and organizations related to thyroid disease and the treatment of radiation exposure after nuclear accidents. He was president of the American Thyroid Association from 1982-1983. After the Chernobyl, Ukraine accident in April 1986, he led the American team to study the effects of radiation exposure from this accident on people living in the area. He was especially interested in studying the increase in thyroid disease in children in the Belarus/Ukraine area. He received the Distinguished Service Medal from American Thyroid Association in 1989, Berson Yalow Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine in 1990, and in 1996 a White House Citation for Humanitarian Efforts for his studies of childhood thyroid cancer following the Chernobyl accident.

Extent

21.67 Linear Feet (18 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

David Becker, MD donated his papers to the archives in 1980, 1995-1996, 2002, and 2009.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Elizabeth Shepard in 2010. The finding aid was written by Elizabeth Shepard in 2010. Minor modifications to the finding aid were made during migration to ArchivesSpace in 2024.