First to perform open heart surgery First program for training resident physicians First UB teaching hospital to appoint department heads only with Medical School approval First university-affiliated nursing program First tumor clinic First outpatient fracture clinic First blood bank First cancer detection center at a general hospital First school of X-ray technology First school for dieticians First school of medical technology First experimental surgery laboratory First fulltime heads of departments Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital entrance. Photo courtesy of Dolores Cippola. Dr. Edward J. Meyer. Hospital Firsts in the community 27 Many WNY residents of a certain age will recall that the hospital that preceded ECMC at 462 Grider Street was the Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital. In 1939, the hospital was re-named for Dr. Edward J. Meyer, the physician who served as the first president of City Hospital’s board of managers and guided it through nearly two decades until his death in 1935. It was also Dr. Meyer’s leadership that assured the hospital would be the preeminent teaching hospital in the region. By the time of the hospital’s 50th year, it had been responsible for providing 50% of the clinical teaching of medical students at the University of Buffalo including approximately 30% of the internists and pediatricians, 75% of the ophthalmologists, and 20% of the surgeons then practicing in WNY. A program in hospital pharmacy at UB’s College of Pharmacy also brought several students each year to Meyer Memorial for affiliate training. In 1941, Dr. John D. Stewart was appointed surgeon in chief and the next 20 years marked the two decades during which a surgical teaching program came into being and grew to vigorous maturity under his directorship. Meyer Memorial Hospital1939-1978 Dr. Edward J. Meyer Known as the father of Buffalo City Hospital, Dr. Edward J. Meyer was president of the hospital’s board of managers in 1912, when the board was first appointed. He planned the hospital’s buildings, supervised the installation of equipment, set up the consulting, visiting, and resident medical staffs, and formulated a policy of first-class care for all patients. Dr. Meyer decided at the outset that Buffalo City Hospital would be a teaching hospital and was largely responsible for the hospital’s affiliation with the University of Buffalo, where he was also a member of the faculty and had received his medical degree in 1891. After graduation, he studied for two years in Europe, served as assistant to Dr. Roswell Park, then became an instructor in surgery and finally an adjunct professor of surgery at UB. He served as the president of the board of managers for nearly 24 years until his death in 1935. On January 24, 1939, the name of the hospital was changed to the Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital to honor the man who had so greatly influenced its growth and success.