Related Classes & Events

Tuesday, August 6th, 2013

Adult Heartsaver CPR with AED 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Saturday, August 10th, 2013

Basic Life Support CPR 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

Adult Heartsaver CPR with AED 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Saturday, November 2nd, 2013

Basic Life Support CPR 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Monday, November 4th, 2013

Breast Cancer Support Group 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Burn Center

West Penn Burn Center History

In 2009, West Penn Burn Center celebrated 40 years of excellence in burn care.

The October 7 special occasion honored John Gaisford, MD; I. William Goldfarb, MD; and Harvey Slater, MD, who dedicated their careers to West Penn Burn Center and established it as one of the most respected burn centers in the country.

Guests included former patients and present and former Burn Center colleagues, as well as current Burn Center staff.

The evening began with a cocktail hour, where friends gathered and shared fond memories from the past and present and was followed by a delicious dinner, a special 40th anniversary video presentation, and remarks by West Penn Hospital and West Penn Allegheny Health System leadership.

Special thanks to the following for their generous donations toward this event:

Event Sponsors: Har-kel, Inc., and Hospital Therapy Products, Inc.

Friendship Sponsors: Baxter Healthcare Corporation and Ponsi Shoes, Inc. & Medical Supply

Supporters: Brennen Medical, HEALTHPOINT, LTD, Life Care Hospitals, National Rehab Wound Care Division, and Traco

Left to right: I.W. Goldfarb, MD, John Gaisford, MD, and Harvey Slater, MD, at West Penn Burn Center's 40th Anniversary Celebration at Fox Chapel Golf Club.

West Penn Burn Center: 40 Years of Achievements

1969	The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Burn Center was established by John Gaisford, MD, in response to an acute need for burn care in the region. The first head nurse was Shirley Hornfeck. "In 1969 the recovery room was on the sixth floor, and it was moved to another section of the Hospital. Mr. McGuire asked how we thought the empty floor should be used, and I told him all the things that could be accomplished by starting a burn center. There were only a few such centers in the country at the time. Dick Scaife offered $750,000 and we set up 15 beds with everything that was needed to start a burn center. We used all the men in the Hospital to construct it, and we did it for $90,000." -Dr. John Gaisford, first medical director of West Penn Burn Center, The People of Progress
1970	The first burn unit was dedicated on May 5, 1970, on 5E. The burn unit was later relocated to 6F in June of 1981.
1972	Dr. Harvey Slater joined Dr. John Gaisford as Associate Director. Dr. Harvey Slater founded the Great Lakes Burn Study Group. The first Great Lakes Burn Study Group was held at the West Penn Hospital Burn Trauma Center that year.
1979	Dr. John Gaisford and head nurse Karen Price traveled to Suriname to treat an Alcoa employee who had been burned. He was brought back to the West Penn Burn Trauma Center for treatment. Afterwards, Dr. Harvey Slater, Dr. John Gaisford, Karen Price and Doreen Konop returned to Suriname to provide burn care education to the local healthcare community at the Suriname Burn Symposium, August 3-5, 1980.
1980	Dr. I.W. Goldfarb joined Dr. John Gaisford and Dr. Harvey Slater as Associate Director. Dr. I.W. Goldfarb established a relationship with Dr. Raphael Shafir, a plastic surgeon in the Israeli Army. The United Jewish Federation provided funding that paid for nurses from the Israeli Burn Center to travel to Pittsburgh for training, and for our nurses to spend time in their center.
1985	Dr. Harvey Slater became West Penn Burn Trauma Center's second Medical Director. The Aluminum Cans for Burned Children recycling program was established. Multiple outreach programs were designed and implemented in the early and mid-1980s, including the Back-to-School Program, and a series of medical and paramedical educational programs. The "Precious Ones" campaign was also pioneered that year.
1987	Summer Camp for Burned Children was established. The first camp was held June 4-6, 1987, at the First Presbyterian Church Camp in Ligonier with 15 campers.
1989	The Elvis Aaron Presley Visiting Fellowship was established by the We Remember Elvis Fan Club to bring fellows to West Penn Hospital from other countries to learn advanced burn care techniques.
1995	West Penn Burn Trauma Center relocated to T2 (Patient Care Tower) in July 1995, where it remains today.
1996	The Burn Trauma Center's 25th anniversary was celebrated with an evening of entertainment and dancing to the Al Dowe Trio and the Etta Cox Quintet at the DoubleTree Hotel on Saturday, February 24, 1996. Patti Burns of KDKA-TV provided the keynote address.
1997	West Penn Burn Trauma Center received verification honors by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons and the American Burn Association. West Penn Burn Trauma Center is the first and only burn program in the region to receive verification honors by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons and the American Burn Association, and it is the only burn center in Pennsylvania to have earned verification FOUR times.
2006	Dr. Ariel Aballay joined the team as Burn Surgeon.
2007	Dr. I.W. Goldfarb became West Penn Burn Trauma Center's third Medical Director.
2008	West Penn Burn Center's new name and logo was established.
2009	West Penn Burn Center's Outpatient Services Center opened February 2, 2009, with five examination rooms and areas for occupational/physical therapy and compression management.