Interview Transcript
Interview
Dr. Walter Orenstein with Interviewer: Dr David Sencer
Transcribed: January 2009 | Duration 0:02:18
David Sencer: I am David Sencer. I am interviewing Dr. Walter Orenstein
on April 3, 2008 at the CDC. Dr. Orenstein is aware that he is
being filmed and recorded and he has signed permission for that.
Thank for coming in Walt. Do you want to tell me a little bit
about Walter Orenstein, your roots and how you got into Public
Health?
Walter Orenstein: I grew up in the Bronx and was fairly limited in my
travels. In fact I spent the first 24 years of my life in the
Bronx and wanted to see more of the world and a cousin who was
an EIS officer in 1956, Harry Reuben [0:01:03] stationed in
Kansas City and he was the doctor in the family; and when it
came time after medical school to think about service
obligations and what I might do, I went to him for advice and he
mentioned that by joining the CDC and the EIS you got to travel.
So based on that I just checked it off, and I was ready to go to
CDC.
David Sencer: And when was that?
Walter Orenstein: I graduated from medical school in 1972 and went to
San Francisco to do two years of Pediatrics and then came to
CDC, and I was quite interested in immunizations at the time
because of my training in pediatrics and where immunization is
such fundamental part. But quite frankly really what motivated
me most was the ability to travel.
David Sencer: What did you do in the immunization activities when you
were an EIS officer?
Walter Orenstein: When I came to CDC my initial focus was on mumps. I
think it was because I was the only - I was the last -
[End of audio - 0:02:18]
Walter Orenstein Oral History
April 7, 2008
Dr. Orenstein was an epidemiologist detailed from CDC to the Smallpox Eradicartion Program in India.
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