"Kenneth Oakley to Earl Palmer Memories" - VHS cassette, 1994

This collection includes a range of administrative materials, research data and audio-visual resources, scholarly output from Dr. Palmer and his colleagues, and correspondence from throughout Palmer’s career. The collection dates from 1965-2009, with the bulk of items created between 1980 and 2005.  The majority of the materials are from his time at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and most relate to the Multicenter Trial of Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP). 

The trial had 4 phases with these approximate dates: Phase I: 1985 March-1989 April; Phase II: 1989 June-1994 May; Phase III: 1994 June-1999 May; Phase IV: 1999 June-2003 June.

Series 1, "Research Study Materials," contains approximately 8,000 35mm color photography slides of close-up images of eyes. Based on other information in this collection, it seems probable that the slides show images of eyes with different stages of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). There are audio-visual resources (VHS and U-matic videocassettes, DVDs, and CD-Rs) in this series that relate to ROP, OHSU, and other aspects of Palmer’s work. Most of this series contains administrative materials concerning the operations of CRYO-ROP and other ROP-related research. This includes grant application paperwork, manuals of procedures (MOPs), and examples of the kind of planning and logistical documents needed for a national study of this scale. There is also a small subseries of Palmer’s work files that are not related to ROP but involve his work with various professional organizations. with various professional organizations.  

Series 2, "Research Outputs" consists of published journal articles by members of the Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity Cooperative Group, often with multiple drafts and feedback from the editorial committee. The series also includes book chapters written by Palmer, data charts, and presentation materials.  

Series 3, “Correspondence,” is primarily made up of letters, memoranda, and printed emails that have to do with ROP research and the coordination of CRYO-ROP. An attempt has been made to maintain the titles as they appeared on folders, but some folders were not labeled, and some may have been labeled by someone without knowledge of how Palmer had originally arranged items . The small subseries of correspondence not directly related to ROP was in its own section with little descriptive information other than the year.