Dr. Richard K. Root, as Chief of Medicine at the Seattle VA Medical Center during Paul Beeson's tenure in Seattle, was almost certainly integrally involved in the famous Tuesday morning clinical conferences held by Beeson. These small-group teaching rounds, beginning in 1974 and continuing into the early 1990s, were hallmarks of Beeson's bedside teaching model.
As Chief of Medicine, Dr. Root would have had administrative oversight of the residency program and clinical teaching activities. His formal role entailed supporting and facilitating educational initiatives—especially those involving such a revered figure as Dr. Beeson. Root's own legacy as the first Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington further underscores the deep philosophical alignment and mentorship lineage between the two.
Although not documented in daily schedules, it is highly plausible that Dr. Root not only supported the continuation of Beeson's rounds but also participated in key sessions and ensured institutional commitment to their preservation. These conferences helped define the intellectual and clinical culture of the VA system and the Department of Medicine at UW.
Dr. Robert G. Petersdorf, a longtime colleague of Beeson from Yale and former Chair of Medicine at UW, was instrumental in bringing Beeson to Seattle. The institutional structure he helped establish was later carried forward by Dr. Root, making both men critical to sustaining the environment in which Beeson's teaching thrived.
