Reginald Knight, November 17, 2022

Item

Title
Reginald Knight, November 17, 2022
interviewee
Reginald Knight
interviewer
Evan Moats
Date
2022-11-17
Subject
American Healthcare
African Americans in Healthcare
Central New York
Healthcare
Long Island
Medical field
Medical school
Orthopedics
Politics
Race
Rural New York
Rural Healthcare
Surgery
Description
Dr. Knight was born in the Bronx in the early 1950s, but his family soon moved out to rural Suffolk County, Long Island. After leaving home to attend college in central New York, he went on to become an orthopedic and spinal surgeon. His career has taken him across much of the country, and he is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Integration Officer at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York. Dr. Knight grew up and began his education during the height of the civil rights movement. As a young African American man, he attended a majority white high school on Long Island. He would go on to attend secondary and post-secondary educational institutions in which he was, at times, the only African American person in the room.

Dr. Knight's recollections include memories of his time on Long Island and the rural, family setting he remembers. He goes through his education and the type of training he received at multiple institutions. He has wonderful insights into how the healthcare field has changed and how issues around racism and politics have impacted his career.

I interviewed Dr. Knight in Cooperstown, New York at the classroom building of the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Our first attempt at an interview was unsuccessful due to technical difficulties. Dr. Knight was gracious enough to return for a second interview. As a result, there are times in which he references our previous conversation. I have edited out most instances when he alludes to the first interview. However, on no occasion is it necessary to know the content of our first meeting in order to understand this interview. Dr. Knight speaks with a light New York accent, and it should not pose a problem to listeners of the audio recording. For the recording Dr. Knight asked that I address him as Reg for the sake of comfortability.
Time Summary
Track 1, 0:00 - Life on Long Island
Track 1, 5:24 - Being a Black student in white schools
Track 1, 7:07 - Attending SUNY Oneonta
Track 1, 14:06 - Medical school applications
Track 1, 15:55 - Impact of race on applications
Track 1, 16:58 - Medical school training
Track 1, 26:33 - Medical career
Track 2, 2:35 - Patient care
Track 2, 9:03 - Family life
Track 2, 14:46 - Shift to administration
Track 2, 21:23 - Changes to Bassett/rural healthcare
Creator
Evan Moats
Publisher
Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University Of New York at Oneonta
Media
Knight_Photo_11-03-2022