Balfour Mount Oral History

Interviewee

Balfour Mount

Interviewer

Bryan Sisk MD, MSCI

Files

Related Oral Histories

Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project

Summary

Balfour Mount was interviewed by Brian Sisk on August 1, 2019 for approximately one hour and 11 minutes for the Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project.

Scope and Content

Dr. Balfour Mount begins the interview by describing a pivotal moment when he heard Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross lecture at McGill University’s Royal Victoria Hospital. Dr. Mount had not previously heard of Kübler-Ross’s work and was impressed to learn about the unmet needs of the dying. When Dr. Mount conducted a similar study at the RVH, he found the same deficiencies in care and carried out a two year pilot project aimed at addressing these needs through the creation of an in-patient ward, a consultation service, a home care program, an outpatient clinic, and a bereavement follow-up service.

Biographical Information: Interviewee

Balfour Mount is a medical graduate of Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. He trained as a Urologist at McGill University and as a Surgical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. He was the Founding Director of the Royal Victoria Hospital Palliative Care Service in 1975, Palliative Care McGill in 1990, and the McGill Programs in Whole Person Care in 1999. He is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at McGill University where he held the Eric M. Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Mount’s research interests include quality of life. He is an author of 148 publications and has participated in the production of 25 teaching films and audio tapes. He has been a lecturer and Visiting Professor in North America, Great Britain, Norway, Holland, France, Austria, Italy, USSR, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China and Taiwan. He was the founder and Chairperson of McGill’s biennial International Congresses on Care of the Terminally Ill. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Quebec and recipient of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. He has been honored through the creation of three named awards: ‘The Balfour M Mount Award’ of the American Journal of Hospice Care, ‘The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada Balfour M Mount Visiting Professorship in Palliative Medicine,’ and ‘The Balfour Mount Leadership Award in Hospice Palliative Care’ of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.

Biographical Information: Interviewer

Bryan Sisk, MD, MSCI is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and an Assistant Professor in General Medical Sciences as a member of the Bioethics Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his clinical training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sisk was a clinical fellow in pediatric hematology and oncology when he initiated this Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project. As a trainee, Dr. Sisk had a strong interest in palliative care, the approach to the suffering of children, and the history of medicine. Prior to initiating this project, Dr. Sisk performed an in-depth review of the development of pediatric palliative care as a discipline and philosophy. This research culminated in a publication entitled, “Response to Suffering of the Seriously Ill Child: A History of Palliative Care for Children” in the journal Pediatrics. However, this historical review was limited to textbooks and publications. It lacked the personal experience of caring for these children and inspiring the development of a new clinical discipline. Inspired by David Clark’s oral history of the adult hospice movement, Dr. Sisk began to plan this pediatric oral history project.

Of note, this collection of oral histories is incomplete, and many important figures have not (yet) been interviewed. Dr. Sisk’s goal is to continue adding to this collection create a rich repository of personal insights and wisdom from leaders who changed the field of pediatrics.

Interview Date

2019-08-01

Collection Identifier

OH154-S26

Length

Approximately one hour and 11 minutes.

Restrictions

Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).

Recommended Citation

Balfour Mount Oral History, OH154-S26, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.

Notes

Access to the audio recording for this oral history may be obtained via approval of the archivists at Becker Library. Contact the archives for more information (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).

Disclaimer

The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.