E. Lovell Becker, MD Papers

Collection

Identifier: US-NNCORMA-RGPPM-021

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Scope and Contents

The papers have been organized into Correspondence (1953-1975), ICNNRD (1966-1974), Other Committees (1964-1976), Speeches, Articles, and Reprints (1943-1976), and Research Files (1958-1966). The papers provide an good overview of his research interests and his work with the ICNNRD. No information is provided here on his personal life. Duplicate reprints and miscellaneous patient files were discarded. His microscopic slides were also discarded. Two boxes of his original papers are missing or were discarded at an earlier date.

Dates

1943 - 1976

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. Ernest Lovell Becker was born in January 13, 1923 in Cincinnati, OH. He received a B. A. in 1944 from Washington and Lee University in Virginia and a M. D. degree in 1948 from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. After graduating from medical school, he was a resident at Medical College of Virginia. Prior to coming to this medical center, he studied with Dr. Homer Smith at New York University/Bellevue Hospital from 1951-1953 and was an assistant professor of medicine at Medical College of Virginia from 1955-1957. In addition, he was a captian with the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps from 1953-1955. He came to this medical center in 1957 as an assistant professor of medicine at Cornell University Medical College and assistant attending physician at New York Hospital. He rose to director of the Eugene F. DuBois Pavilion (Clinical Research Center) in 1960, chief of the Renal Division under the Department of Medicine in 1967 and professor of medicine/attending physician in 1969. He left in 1977, but continued to serve as an adjunct professor of medicine at Cornell University Medical College. He was the director of Graduate Medical Evaluation at AMA from 1978-1980, professor of medicine at Mt. Sinai and director of medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center from 1980-1984.

Dr. Becker was a leading expert in kidney research and treatment. He served as president of the National Kidney Foundation from 1970-1973 and received the Martin Wagner Memorial Award from this foundation in 1985. He helped get a house bill passed that provided money for dialysis and transplantation under Medicare and Medicaid. During his years in the military in the 1950s, he conducted several studies of high altitude physiology in the Andes in Peru. He studied the effects of high altitude on the heart, kidneys, and lungs, and how the natives there had adapted to the high altitude over generations. In additon, he published over 100 publications on his various kidney research.

He died on February 21, 1986 at the age of 63.

Extent

12.5 Linear Feet (10 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated to the archives in 1978.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Elizabeth Shepard in 2008. The finding aid was written by Elizabeth Shepard in 2008. Minor modifications to the finding aid were made during migration to ArchivesSpace in 2024.