Interview with F. Joseph Halcomb III, April 21, 2017

Partial Transcript: I referred to you as Dr. Holcomb.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb discusses his reasons for establishing the endowment for the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Kentucky. He talks about becoming interested in the medical field as a child observing his physician father's interactions with his patients. He talks about being a pioneer in the biomedical engineering field in the days when there was no set path for combining the medical and engineering fields. He says that he wanted to create the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UK to give current students an easier path into the field.

Keywords: Appendicitis; Benefits; Biomedical programs; Colleges; Doctors; Endowments; F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering; Family; Fathers; Fellowships; Future; Impact; Knapp; Lafferty; Learning; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Mechanical; Med school; Medical centers; Medical school; Medicine; Mentors; Operating rooms; Opportunities; Paths; Patients; Pioneers; Preparation; Scholarships; Students; Surgery; Technological advancement

Subjects: Childhood; College benefactors; Education; Education, Higher--Kentucky; Families.; Medical education; Physicians--Kentucky; Universities and colleges--Departments; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine; University of Kentucky. Medical Center

Partial Transcript: So I want to sort of take a moment and reflect on the fact that, you know, what you represent in many ways, thanks in large part I think to your father...

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks more about what he learned by observing his physician father treating his patients. He talks about the lack of technology available in his father's day and the importance of being able to accurately diagnose problems. He talks about his father making house calls, and the role of hope in the healing process. He talks about his father's role as a community leader.

Keywords: "Hope is healing"; Art forms; Community leaders; Diagnosticians; Doctors; Fathers; Giving back; House calls; Learning; Legacy; Lessons; Listening; Patients; Rural areas; Science; Scientific advancements; Scientific innovation; Technology

Subjects: Children of physicians; Family medicine.; Health.; Medicine.; Physician and patient.; Physicians (General practice); Physicians--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: You talk about him working in the house and we talked a little bit about the house before the interview.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks about another lesson he learned from his father: doing whatever is necessary to help a patient. He talks about his father making house calls, not only to patients' homes but also opening his own home as a doctor's office. He talks about his father learning to make do with what supplies were on hand from his time as a medic in World War II. He says his father was often too busy working to enjoy his hobbies but when he had time he enjoyed fishing.

Keywords: Army, 5th Auxiliary Surgery Group; Busy; Cars; Clinics; Dens; Doctors; Engineering; Family rooms; Fathers; Fishing; Hobbies; Hospitals; House calls; Lessons; Patients; Rounds; Rural areas; Solving problems; Television (TV); Time; Tinkering; Training; Trauma; WWII; Work-life balance; World War II

Subjects: Childhood; Children of physicians; Education; Family medicine.; Health.; Medical offices.; Medicine.; Physician and patient.; Physicians (General practice); Physicians--Kentucky; United States. Army; World War, 1939-1945--Medical care

Partial Transcript: So you had this great medical model, um, but you said by high school you had this sense that you wanted to combine engineering and medicine.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks about his early interest in math and engineering. He talks about the impact of a high school teacher, Clifton Bush, who, in his own spare time, taught a night class in calculus because it was not offered at the school. He talks about how his interest in engineering translated to an interest in shop class and woodworking, and talks about some of the projects he made including a gun cabinet for his father's gun collection.

Keywords: Buildings; Calculus; Clifton Bush; College; Encouragement; Fathers; Furniture; Gun cabinets; Gun collections; Impact; Impulses; Influence; Mentors; Night schools; Prisoners of war (POWs); Science; Shop class; WWII; World War II

Subjects: Childhood; Education; Engineering; Mathematics; Teachers; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Where is that house in Scottsville?

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb describes his unique childhood home in Scottsville, Kentucky. The home itself was a log cabin painted black and white, and sat on a few acres of farmland. He talks about the farm animals they raised, and other childhood experiences on the farm.

Keywords: Charlie Knapp; Farm animals; Fathers; Flower gardens; Historic; Homes; Honeybees; Houses; Legacy; Log houses; McDonald; Memories; Mothers; Preservation; Unique; White Plains, Scottsville (Ky.)

Subjects: Families.; Family farms.; Farm life.; Farms, Small.; Land use, Rural.; Livestock.; Rural children; Rural conditions; Scottsville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Let's talk about UK.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks about his decision to attend the University of Kentucky and why his mentors later encouraged him to apply to other schools due to his interest in biomedical engineering. He talks about his experience interning at Massachusetts General Hospital and how it compared to his experience at UK Hospital. He talks about some of the cases he saw, the experience he gained, and the skill of the professors he worked with.

Keywords: Appalachia; Benign neglect; Decisions; Dermatology; Experience; Exposure; Family; Fathers; Harvard Medical School; Hospitals; Massachusetts General Hospital; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Mentors; Patients; Professors; Rural areas; Sisters; Sports fans; Students; Surgeons

Subjects: Childhood; Education; Education, Higher--Kentucky; Families.; Health.; Medical education; Medicine.; Physicians--Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine

Partial Transcript: Now the difference is part of my graduate program there though, uh, gave me entrée and I met some truly world-class surgeons.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks about interning with an orthopedic surgeon, Bill Harris. He talks about Harris' skill and a photo taken of him in his advanced operating room setup. He talks about going to work for the Zimmer company after graduation, and about receiving an offer from Bill Harris to partner on the development of a way of solving the problem of bone cement breakdown after a joint replacement. He talks about the product they developed, how it solves the problem, and the details of how it was developed, including the interdisciplinary relationships between doctors and engineers.

Keywords: Bill Harris; Bob Jarvic; Bone cement; Bone growth; Bones; Breakdown; Communication; Designs; Doctors; Engineering; Experience; Improvements; Infections; Interdisciplinary; Lasting; Meetings; Orthopedic implants; Orthopedics; Particles; Personal relationships; Photographs; Polyethylene; Polymers; Problem solving; Product development; Rejection; Research and development; Responses; Skills; Surgeons; Surgery; Techniques; Tissues; Total joint replacement; Zimmer (now Zimmer Biomet)

Subjects: Health.; Inventions.; Medical innovations.; Medicine.; Physicians; Technological innovations.

Partial Transcript: So you're at--so let's go back to Indiana.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb talks about his career path at Zimmer, working his way up through management and leadership positions. He talks about going to work for Hall Surgical, developing surgical power equipment. He talks about the downsizing of the company.

Keywords: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Division presidents; Downsizing; Experience; Improvements; Indiana; Leadership; Management; Opportunities; Pharmaceuticals; Power sources; Promotion; Southern California; Supervisors; Surgeons; Surgical instruments; Zimmer (now Zimmer Biomet)

Subjects: Health.; Inventions.; Medical innovations.; Medicine.; Physicians; Technological innovations.

Partial Transcript: But it--fortunately at the same time I was being recruited by, uh, a relatively new biotech company down the road by the name of Amgen.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb next worked for Amgen, a new experience for him since the development was on a microscopic level. He talks about helping to develop devices used to inject biologics. He talks about a skiing accident that left him with a bone fracture, and his involvement on the patient-side of the experience.

Keywords: Accidents; Amgen Inc.; Attitudes; Auto-injectors; Biologics; Biologists; Business; Changes; Devices; Doctors; Drugs; Engineering; Fractures; Microscopic; Osteoporosis; Patients; Pharmaceuticals; Problems; Product development; Proteins; Recruitment; Research and development; Skiing; Surgeons; Syringes; Technology

Subjects: Health.; Inventions.; Medical innovations.; Medicine.; Physicians; Technological innovations.

Partial Transcript: I go back to what you said about your father and this, "hope is healing."

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb and interviewer Doug Boyd discuss the improvements and advancements that have been made in medicine over the years. They talk about how despite these advancements, there are still many holdovers from traditional medicine. Halcomb talks more about the importance of being a good diagnostician in his father's day, and talk about the relationship between patient and doctor and the current trend of doctors once again making house calls.

Keywords: Accidents; Advancements; Anatomical snuffbox; Concerns; Diagnosticians; Doctors; Folklore; Fractures; Future; Hip replacements; House calls; Improvements; Knowledge; Orthopedics; Pediatricians; Personal relationships; Problem solving; Routine; Tradition; X-ray

Subjects: Childhood; Health.; Inventions.; Medical innovations.; Medicine.; Physician and patient.; Physicians; Technological innovations.

Partial Transcript: And, uh, that gets back to, uh--the, the, the big thing is what about healthcare in the country and how are we managing it.

Segment Synopsis: Halcomb discusses his disappointment in the lack of consultation with doctors on the healthcare debate in the U.S. He talks about doctors' level of care for their patients and talks about how doctors working in fields like biomedical engineering can impact the lives of thousands of patients with their inventions. Halcomb and interviewer Doug Boyd discuss the impact that the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Kentucky will have on the students, patients, and the state of Kentucky. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Amgen Inc.; Careers; Chemotherapy; Dialysis; Doctors; F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering; Fathers; Fu-Kuen Lin, M.D.; Healthcare debate; Impact; Implants; Influence; Locals; Medicare; Paths; Patient care; Patients; People; Problem solving; Products; Quality of life

Subjects: College benefactors; Education; Education, Higher--Kentucky; Health.; Inventions.; Medical education; Medical innovations.; Medicine.; Physician and patient.; Physicians--Kentucky; Technological innovations.; Universities and colleges--Departments; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine