Jacksonville, NC- By Roselee Papandrea
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Jacksonville, N.C.- By Roselee Papandrea
Dr. Takey Crist recognizes that his work as a Jacksonville obstetrician/gynecologist and willingness to be in the forefront of women's health issues was controversial but made a difference. He just never expected to be honored by his alma mater - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - for his work.
Crist was one of five people honored last week by the UNC School of Medicine and Medical Alumni Association, and one of three physicians who received the Distinguished Service Award this year.
"I am extremely honored," said the 69-year-old Crist, who runs the Crist Clinic for Women on Memorial Drive. "I never really thought I would get something like this. What I was doing at Chapel Hill was very controversial."
The purpose of the award, which was established by the School of Medicine in 1955, is to "honor alumni and other individuals who have significantly enhanced the prestige and reputation of the medical school and university through various professional, service and leadership accomplishments," said Todd Dawson of the Medical Alumni Association.
For as long as he can remember, Crist wanted to be a physician. He believes the dream started when he was a kid in New York City listening to the stories his mother, an immigrant from Cypress, told about the medical services available in her native country.
"I think that may have played an important part in my life," said Crist who always saw himself practicing family medicine.
But when he attended the UNC School of Medicine, the thought of working in a specialty was appealing and OB/GYN seemed like a good fit. It's a decision he's never regretted.
While Crist did an internship at the Medical College of South Carolina in the 1960s, he witnessed the results of many botched abortions, which were illegal at the time. It left him with "horrific memories," he said.
When he returned to Chapel Hill for his residency and then while he served as an assistant professor at the medical school, Crist worked to make changes in issues that impacted women's health.
"As a young faculty member, he earned both praise and condemnation by forcing the university to address previously taboo issues of sexuality. He had seen his share of emergency OB/GYN cases and was struck by the serious damage, both physical and emotional, suffered by young women who underwent illegal abortions," according to the biographical information included in the Distinguished Service Awards program.
The negative feedback didn't stop Crist. He was instrumental in getting the university to allow student health services to offer contraceptives to students. He started the school's first undergraduate course in human sexuality. He wrote a weekly column in The Daily Tar Heel answering questions about sex education and contraceptives and also co-authored "Elephants and Butterflies: A Handbook on Contraception."
"His relentless pursuit of untethered reproductive rights for women has been both remarkable and praiseworthy, and his activities in this arena have had, at the least, national impact," said Dr. Robert Brame, a former professor of OB/GYN at both UNC and East Carolina University.
Crist returned to Jacksonville in 1973 and set up practice. Once abortion was legalized, his willingness to perform the procedure was met with resistance in his hometown. He remains adamant in his belief that women have a right to choose what's best for them, and he doesn't think his medical career should be defined solely by his decision to perform abortions.
He treats women with fertility and sterility issues. He performs countless hysterectomies and surgeries for incontinence. He does cancer screenings and laparoscopic surgery. He delivers babies, and he never tires of his work.
"I can honestly say when I get up in the morning, I look forward to going to work," he said.
And despite working nearly four decades in his field, Crist isn't ready to slow down. He said he's ready for "one more hoorah."
"I'd like to see a private women's hospital in Jacksonville," Crist said.
He also wants to see improvements in mental health services in the county and other issues related to children. In the last two months, there have been six fetal deaths in the county related to mothers using illegal drugs, he said.
"I think we need to ask ourselves why this is happening," he said. "We also need to know why we have a high rate of sexual abuse of our young children."
Crist remains convinced that he chose the right career path.
"I grew as the specialty grew," he said. "I adapted well. I was surrounded by good professors. Now, I'm surrounded by a good staff."
*** The Daily News, Jacksonville, NC
Related: Jacksonville, NC- By Roselee Papandrea
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