Cardiologist. Scientist. Professor. Nun. Medical missionary. Patient advocate.
Helen Starke, MD, was a trailblazer, a woman in the male-dominated medical profession in the 1940s who capped her career at UNMC.
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| Elizabeth Reed, MD |
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| Philip Bierman, MD |
Two UNMC oncologists — Philip Bierman, MD, professor emeritus, and Elizabeth Reed, MD, professor — decided to document the extraordinary life that Dr. Starke led. A hallway conversation with a few colleagues about former faculty members at UNMC prompted the doctors to write articles to document that history.
"We noted that soon there would be nobody around that remembered those who’ve gone before us, including those who trained us, and we decided to do some short biographies," Dr. Bierman said. "I just think it is important to know the people that let us stand on their shoulders.
"We also discussed the remarkable lives these physicians had led, outside of medicine, and the fact that several of these physicians were women."
Their first article is about Dr. Starke. They are writing about others as well, including Mary Jo Henn, MD.
Their 2,900-word story about Dr. Starke profiles her life beginning in New York City, all the way to her retirement from UNMC at age 70. She graduated from Duke University in 1938 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She then graduated from Duke University Medical School in 1942. She was one of two women in her admitting class of 69 students.
Read the history of Dr. Helen Starke and her path to joining UNMC in July 1969.
In an interview for the article, retired UNMC cardiologist Tom Sears, MD, said Dr. Starke was an expert on the natural history of untreated valvular and congenital heart disease and a master at electrocardiogram interpretation. "Colleagues remember her as the smartest person in the room, but her greatest legacy is as someone who literally loved her patients and was loved by them," Dr. Sears said. "She emphasized the importance of respect and concern for the patient as a person."
The article said colleagues remembered her as a quiet woman, one who had a smoking habit.
"Smoking once was permitted in the hallways at University Hospital and she always carried a cigarette in her hand during rounds. Before entering a room, she would extinguish her cigarette in an ashtray on the chart rack, or crush it on the sole of her shoe or the hallway floor. The cigarette butts would sometimes leave a smoke trail after she put them in her pocket."
I remember Dr. Starke and I was always amazed by her calmness and knowledge. I remember on 5 West when she would balance her cigarette before going into a room on the hallway ledge. This is when nurses could smoke in the break-room on the unit. Such fond memories.
Thank you for capturing the story of the extraordinary physician and mentor. While in his cardiology fellowship, my husband remarked that if he could learn half of what Helen had forgotten, he would be a great physician. She used her keen ear for diagnosis as well as comfort. She would sing songs and bounce our infant daughter on her knee while reviewing studies. It was truly an honor to be in her circle.
Thank you for sharing the longer article about Dr. Starke and her connection with UNMC…so interesting!
Thanks, Drs. Bierman and Reed, for embarking on this important journey. I look forward to reading more.
Dr. Starke was a remarkable woman. Thank you, Dr. Bierman and Dr. Reed, for sharing her fascinating story.
Thank you for writing this wonderful story on Dr. Starke. She was really fun to learn from and round with. She was an icon in the hallway as we all watched her smoking. We all joked how she was a cardiologist and was no doubt a chain smoker! Those shoe crushing cigarettes did indeed leave a smoke trail inside her white coat jacket. What great memories this brought back for me. Thanks again for this wonderful article and recollection of a terrific person.
What a fantastic story, thank you so much for doing this Beth and Phil. I laughed at the fellowship application questions about pregnancy and marriage –thank goodness things have changed a bit on that front!
What a life she lived! Thanks for sharing this information about such an iconic woman.