About Us
The History of Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong
The 1970s
The 1970s were a tumultuous time in the life of the nation,
of Rochester, and in the Department of Pediatrics. The war in
Vietnam and evolving race relations were making an impact on
many aspects of life, from delaying the completion of the new
hospital, to shifting the priorities of the Department from research
to clinical care.
1975
After ten years and various stops
and starts, the "new" Strong
Memorial Hospital opened. In addition to gaining
additional space, the Department of Pediatrics was finally
able to develop a true neonatal unit.
1976
Former student Dr. David H. Smith
returned to Rochester from Boston's Children's Hospital to
become the fourth
Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, serving until 1983.
While
he continued to pursue high quality clinical care,
Dr. Smith made great strides to return the Department of Pediatrics
to its strong
tradition of research. His own most notable research led
to the development of the Hemophilus influenzae, type b,
vaccine,
which
has virtually
eliminated the number of deaths caused by bacterial meningitis.
During his tenure, Dr. Smith also made great strides in
developing the identity of the Department
of Pediatrics as an independent
entity. He was the first to introduce
the concept of a children's hospital within a hospital, and was
able to
create an avenue
for the Department of Pediatrics to raise
funds separate from Strong Memorial Hospital. During this campaign, "Sandy
Strong" made
her debut.
