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Recently, the world lost a great pioneer of the patient-centered care movement when Harvey Picker died at the age of 92 years. As the founder and enduring inspiration of the Picker Institute,[1-2] Harvey challenged the healthcare system to improve patient care by prioritizing, honoring, and reflecting the patient perspective. One could not accurately describe this, though, as Harvey's 'life's work.' To do so would unfairly abridge a most distinguished and multi-dimensional career as a scientist, businessman, academic, public servant, and philanthropist.
1. A Varied Career
Long before his championing of patient-centered care, Harvey Picker was making immense contributions to the scientific and technological advancement of medical science. Harvey was born in New York City, USA in 1915, and attended Colgate University (New York City), Harvard Business School, and Oxford University. The advent of World War II found him volunteering for service in the US Navy, followed by 5 years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Radiation Laboratory working on microwave radar research and development. As President and CEO of Picker X-Ray, a company founded by his father, Harvey oversaw such pioneering developments as cobalt therapy for cancer, and ultrasound and nuclear imaging diagnostics. At the age of 50 years, Harvey changed course and entered the world of academia, pursuing a PhD and then becoming a Professor of Political Science at Colgate University. In 1972, he was appointed Dean of the Graduate School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (New York), a position he held for 11 years. Government service included serving as a member of the National Science Board, as a US delegate to the International Atomic Energy Commission, and on the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Later, he moved to Maine and owned one of the largest boatyards on the East Coast while also serving on numerous community boards.
2. The Science of Compassionate Healthcare
It was these cumulative experiences, as well as his family's personal encounters with the healthcare system, that imbued Harvey with an invaluably well rounded perspective about how healthcare could be improved by being more sensitive to patients' concerns and comfort. For both professional and personal reasons, Harvey regularly spent time in hospitals. About what he encountered, he once...