Central Files
The Central Files (32 linear feet, 1983-1994), comprise the bulk of the record group and consist of an alphabetical arrangement of key subjects, activities, and units within the Medical Center. The arrangement generally mirrors the original filing system utilized by the office. The records relate mainly to the academic programs, research activities, and clinical activities within the Hospital and Medical School, but also include documentation on the health science schools and the administration of the university as a whole. A number of headings serve as umbrella headings such as "centers" which brings together material on the Burn Center, Cancer Center, Cardiac Center, Geriatrics Center, Substance Abuse Center, and Transplant Health Policy Center. Of note are files of the Genome Ethics Committee which studied the ethical dimensions of human gene therapy. These records also contain material on the beginnings of the Program in Society and Medicine, which had its roots in this committee.
Significant topics within the CENTRAL FILES include AIDS and the response of the university to educating students and citizens about the dangers of the disease. The development of paid provider organizations and health maintenance organizations is well documented, including the M-CARE corporation, and files relating to affiliated hospitals and efforts to develop satellite clinics and hospital networks. Documentation of the Hospital is extensive and consists of budgetary material, governance files, and the hospital's position on pregnancy termination. Equally well documented is the Medical School, including files on departments and programs. The use of animals in research is chronicled in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), and under the heading Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR).
Concise compilations of planning material and background references can be found in the records of the Medical Center Alumni Society (MCAS) and under "retreats." MCAS material consists of reports prepared for the board of governors and the visiting committee, including background and updates on Medical Center activities and the work of the Vice Provost. Retreats represent a chronologically arranged record of long-range and strategic planning, as well as studies of enrollment and curriculum, managed care, and biotechnology.