A 1957 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Victor W. Sidel spent most of his career at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) in New York City, where he served as Chair of the Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects and Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine.
Sidel was one of the founders of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), and one of the authors of their 1962 article “Medical Consequences of Thermonuclear War,” published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Sidel was president of PSR from 1987 to 1988. Sidel was also one of the founders of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and IPPNW co-president from 1993 to 1998. You can see some of the anti-nuclear war buttons Sidel collected in the exhibit "Prescriptions for Peace," currently on view on Countway Floor L2.
Sidel continued to research the intersection of medicine and war throughout his career. As war changed, Sidel’s research changed; he published and lectured on topics including terrorism, bioterrorism, water scarcity, and the diversion of resources from healthcare to war.
As a specialist in social medicine, Sidel’s research interests also included provision of health services to underserved communities (including the Chinese “barefoot doctor” model) In 1971, Sidel and his wife, Hunter College Professor of Sociology Ruth Sidel, were members of the first U.S. medical delegation invited to the People’s Republic of China in 20 years. Sidel was also a member of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), and part of their National Board of Directors from 1993 to 1998.
The papers consist of person, organization, meetings, and subject files, as well as writings, memorabilia and personal files, and born-digital files. Person files consist primarily of professional correspondence. Organization files consist of correspondence, committee, conference, and reference materials from organization including International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Montefiore Medical Center, American Public Health Association, and Physicians for a National Health Program. Meetings files consist of agendas, minutes, and correspondence, from the above organizations and others. Subject files relate to topics including war and public health, nuclear weapons, bioterrorism, medical ethics, and more. Memorabilia and personal files consist of records kept by Sidel from his personal life and student work. Born-digital files consist of presentation slides, writings drafts, digitized lecture slides, and digitized video and audio recordings.
For more information on the Victor W. Sidel papers, please view the collection's online finding aid. For information about accessing the collection, please consult the Center’s website or email Public Services.