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Robert E. Tranquada papers

 Collection
Identifier: 0089

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Scope and Content

Approximately half of the Robert E. Tranquada papers consist of correspondence to and from Tranquada during his tenure as Dean of the USC School of Medicine from 1986 to 1991. The other half of the collection, added as an accrual in 2023, documents a broader scope of Dr. Tranquada's career at USC--not just as medical school dean, but beginning in 1959 when he joined USC's faculty. The papers document both Tranquada's administrative activities as Dean (letters, notes, documents, budgets, recommendations, grant requests and project proposals), and his expertise in health care policy, health services administration, community medicine and public health, and medical education. The collection also documents Tranquada's role in the creation of what is now the Watts Health Center, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital; his service as medical director of Los Angeles General Medical Center, on the Los Angeles County Health Access Committee, and on the Christopher Commission; and his trips to South America, Asia, and Russia on behalf of the medical school in his role as strategic director for international programs.

Dates

  • Creation: 1959 - 2012

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Biographical note

Robert E. Tranquada graduated from Pomona College, summa cum laude, in 1951, received his M.D. degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1955, served as a Resident in Medicine from 1955-1958 and as a Fellow in Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases in 1958-1959 at the UCLA Medical Center and as Fellow in Diabetes at the USC School of Medicine from 1959-1960. Dr. Tranquada's management responsibilities included service as Chairman of the USC Department of Community Medicine and Public Health (1966-1969), Associate Dean of the USC School of Medicine, and Medical Director of the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center (1969-1974), Regional Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (1974-1976), Associate Dean of the UCLA School of Medicine (1976-1979), Chancellor and Dean of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (1979-1986), Dean of the USC School of Medicine (1986-1991), and the Norman Topping/National Medical Enterprises Professor of Medicine and Public Policy from 1992 until his retirement in June 1997.

Extent

5.38 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Professional files of Dr. Robert E. Tranquada during his career at the University of Southern California, including during his tenure as Dean of the USC School of Medicine (1986-1991).

Title
Finding aid for the Robert E. Tranquada papers
Status
Completed
Author
Meghan Stephens
Date
2013 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2023 December: Bo Doub updated the finding aid to include material added to the collection in 2023 (accession no. 2023-049).

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States