Author Archive
George T. Harrell – Memories & Milestones
Part 6 – George T. Harrell
Dr. George T. Harrell is selected to lead the creation of the medical center and school. This was Dr. Harrell’s second medical center project.
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The Four Diamonds Fund – Memories & Milestones
Part 16 – The Four Diamonds Fund
Note: last week was Part 5, so this one seems out of synch. It is – intentionally. The 2012 THON event is this coming weekend so it seems appropriate to highlight this segment today:
Conquering childhood cancer becomes the focus of The Four Diamonds Fund. Penn State’s IFC Dance Marathon – THON – is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising millions for The Four Diamonds Fund each year.
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>> Learn more about 2011 THON here, including photos from patients, families and dancers
Getting it Done – Memories & Milestones
Part 5 – Getting it Done
Dr. John O. Hershey, President of The Milton Hershey School, was the driving force keeping the project moving ahead. The infrastructure of the local community would have to be changed to support the introduction of a major medical center.
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The 50 Million Dollar Phone Call – Memories & Milestones
Part 4 – The 50 Million Dollar Phone Call
One phone call changed a farm field into a college of medicine and medical center.
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Medicine in Blue and White: Episode 3
In this episode of “Medicine in Blue and White”:
- The incredible connection between one fourteen year old boy — and the thousands of people he has helped over the past forty years.
- Combining aerospace engineering and medical technology to help improve health care in developing countries.
- Never-before-seen-behavior under the microscope that could lead to a cure for some of the most challenging diseases we face.
- And a new way to test for what is — literally — an age-old problem.
The Grand Idea – Memories & Milestones
Part 3 – The Grand Idea
Sam Hinkle, President of Hershey Chocolate Corporation, was the driving force in envisioning the Medical Center and getting all the pieces in place with Penn State. Film footage from meetings discussing the vision is included in this segment.
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History of Hershey – Memories & Milestones
Part 2 – History of Hershey
Milton S. Hershey created the town to serve as a town for the workers of his chocolate factory. The town of Hershey in the 1960′s was a community in transition.
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Introduction – Memories & Milestones
A new series of weekly video posts begins today.
Over the next 19 weeks, you’ll see a segment from “Memories & Milestones” which documents stories of pioneering efforts from the first five decades of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Through the efforts of its thousands of faculty, staff, and students, the Medical Center has endeavored to build upon the legacy of its namesake, Milton S. Hershey, and extend the substantial reach of its parent university, Penn State, to improve health and the quality of life.
Part 1 – Introduction
“There are many things about this place that make it special. But I think it’s mostly the people.”
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The journey of an IVC filter—from life-saving to life-altering
The medical journey that would lead Kaysee Kauer from Rapid City, South Dakota, to Hershey, Pennsylvania, began in the early morning hours of January 27, 2011.
“I woke up feeling like my whole right side was a charley horse,” the 38-year-old says. She stood up to alleviate what she thought was a cramp. But within seconds, the pain quickly escalated and it became clear she was dealing with something much worse. “I thought I was having a heart attack,” she says.
Kauer beckoned to her 17-year-old daughter, Hailey, who called 911. Shortly after arriving at a South Dakota hospital, doctors told Kauer she had experienced a potentially fatal condition known as a pulmonary embolism: a “massive” blood clot had broken apart in her leg and migrated to her lungs.
In case more clots were still in her leg, doctors implanted an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in Kaysee. The small umbrella-like filter has metal prongs that project outward to prevent clots from moving to the lungs by way of the IVC – the blood vessel that returns blood to the heart from the lower body.
About a month later, physicians in South Dakota decided it was time to remove the filter. But when they attempted to retrieve it, they discovered a complication: a small hook at one end of the filter had become lodged in the blood vessel wall. (more…)
Medicine In Blue and White: Episode 2
In this episode of “Medicine in Blue and White” as seen on the Big Ten Network:
- A high school athlete with a decision to make and a lot at stake.
- A retired cook meets the latest in surgical innovation.
- An account exec whose get up and go slowly got up and went and a social worker who never knew she had not one but two brain aneurysms.
- And pioneering the science of medicine itself.

