Fun Facts about Harbor-UCLA!

  1. Harbor was UCLA’s first teaching hospital, before UCLA Medical Center opened in Westwood.
  2. Harbor was the nation’s first hospital-based paramedic training program (1969) thanks to the cardiac resuscitation research and techniques by Dr. John M. Criley.
  3.  The popular television show “Emergency!” (1972 to 1977) was filmed at Harbor.
  4. Harbor’s first inpatient was the victim of a plane crash (1946) — the patient survived.
  5. Dr. Marianne Gausche-Hill was the nation’s first fellow in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
  6. Dr. Clinton Coil was the nation’s first fellow in Emergency Medicine Process/Quality Improvement.
  7. Dr. Mike Peterson developed the nation’s 2nd Ultrasound fellowship (2002).
  8. Drs. Hockberger, Birnbaumer, and Gausche-Hill were named as ACEP Heroes in Emergency Medicine in commemoration of the organization’s 40th anniversary.
  9. The Department of Emergency Medicine at Harbor was the first to use catheter introducers (known commonly as a “Cordis”) for resuscitation in the ED — and of course, are now used everywhere (Ann Emerg Med 1983;12:606-60).
  10. Dr. Ross Donaldson published his experiences abroad taking care of patients in Sierra Leone with Lassa fever, in a book called The Lassa Ward.
  11. Dr. Ravi Morchi volunteers yearly to provide medical and surgical care in Africa and Papua New Guinea, and once repaired the pericaridum of an unfortunate patient who was shot in the heart with an arrow. He writes a popular series called Diagnosis Deconstructed for EMN.
  12. Dr. Amy Kaji has a USFA Gold Medal in Ice Dancing.
  13. Dr. Mike Peterson held the rank of Major in the US Army.
  14. Dr. David Burbulys has been the following characters for the costume party at the annual retreat (and tops himself every year!): Pharaoh, Dr. Evil, The Cowardly Lion, Shrek, Mr. Incredible, an Oompa-loompa, Buzz Light-Year, Shrek and much more!
  15. Dr. Gausche-Hill’s daughter is an aspiring singer and songwriter. Katie Costello‘s songs have been featured on mutliple TV shows including the new 90210, Private Practice, and One Tree Hill.
  16. The Division of Thoracic Surgery performed the first successful heart transplant (dog to dog) in 1968 in building B1. B1 is the site of the original operating rooms of the Public Health hospital that became Harbor.
  17. Dr. Hockberger’s wife Patty is an artist who along with her friend Thelma created an original artwork series to decorate our pediatric ED.
  18. The world’s first ovum transfer program, led by Dr. John Buster, to help infertile couples. In 1984, we were the first institution in the world to achieve successful pregnancies using the technique of ovum transfer.
  19. Dr. Tanen is a a retired Captain in the Navy and served 22 years!
  20. Merry Taheri RN, MSN, FNP-C is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and her husband , Omar Akram is a Grammy Award Winning Composer and Pianist!
  21. For more interesting Harbor Facts: HUMC – Celebrating 50 Years of Caring

Emergency!

Dr. Donaldson’s book The Lassa Ward

Dr. Kaji, the Champion Ice Dancer!

The Many Costumes of Dr. Burbulys!

Dr. Gausche-Hill’s Daughter, the Musician Katie Costello!