Pioneering the Practice of Medicine
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Pioneering the Practice of Medicine: The Neuropsychiatric Institute
Established in 1955 and highly regarded in the tri-state area, The Neuropsychiatric Institute (TNI) of Fargo affiliated with St. Luke's Hospital in 1961. Three years later, TNI opened a three-floor hospital at St. Luke's. The close partnership proved monumental in MeritCare's history.
Technology emphasis: TNI placed great value on state-of-the-art care, including next-generation technology. Examples include the region's first cobalt unit in 1964 and the organization's first computerized tomography (CT) head scanner in 1976 – the 200th in the world. Advanced imaging equipment enabled greater diagnostic accuracy and decreased need for exploratory surgery.
High-level expertise: With its unique practice and research opportunities, TNI attracted top neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatrists to Fargo. MeritCare's history includes several notable physicians with TNI roots including founder Dr. Lee Christoferson, who was regarded worldwide as a brilliant neurosurgeon; neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Olafson, whose dedication to medicine later influenced MeritCare's medical education program; and neuro-radiologist Dr. Roger Gilbertson, current president/CEO of MeritCare Health System.
A reputation for excellence: TNI's well-deserved reputation continues to be appreciated – and emulated – throughout MeritCare. Even with today's advances in medical science, words spoken by Dr. Christoferson in 1976 still ring true: "I consider each procedure as a work of art."