For those images and videotapes that Archives staff believe may include Confidential Health Information (CHI) as defined by Columbia University policies governing data security and privacy, access is allowed only under the terms of Archives and Special Collections’ Access Policy to Records Containing Confidential Health Information.
Digital access copies for born-digital photographs are available on demand, onsite, in Archives & Special Collections. Some negatives and prints and videotapes have been digitized and can be viewed onsite.
Photography and videography created by the Center for Biomedical Communications, Columbia University Medical Center.
History and Biography
The Center for Biomedical Communications grew out of earlier committees on “audio-visual aids” within the Columbia University Faculty of Medicine. It was formally established in the 1980s to centralize photography, videography, medical illustration, and general art services for the four health science schools of Columbia University. Its first director was the medical illustrator, Robert Demarest. Originally located in the Hammer Health Sciences Center, it later moved to the 20th floor of the Presbyterian Hospital building. The Center for Biomedical Communications closed in early 2009.
Organization
Arranged into two series: I. Photography II. Videography.
Photographic prints, negatives, contact sheets, slides, videotapes, and CDs created by the photography and videography staff of the Center for Biomedical Communications. The Center’s photographers documented a wide variety of persons and activities at the Columbia University Medical Center: construction and renovation; faculty and administrator portraits; lectures, symposia, receptions, commencements and other events; clinical and scientific work; patients, students, and visitors; and campus views. Though the material covers 1982-2008, the bulk dates from 1985-2006.
Although the Biomedical Communications staff were employed by Columbia University, they took numerous photos of activities at the University’s main clinical partner Presbyterian Hospital and, after 1997, its successor New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Though prints and slides are present, the bulk of the early material exists in negative form only. Digital images stored on CDs begin to appear in 2001; by 2005 all images are on CDs.
Subject Headings and Related Records
Administrative Information
Transferred from the Center for Biomedical Communications in 2008 and 2012 (Series I: accessions #2008.12.09, and #2012.001, Series II: #2008.11.26).
Born-digital photographs originally stored on optical disk have been preserved as ISO disk image files and retained by Archives & Special Collections. Optical disks were separated from job files beginning with job #159335, consist of approximately 2542 disks in 10 boxes.