Gerald Weissmann's oral history begins with a discussion of his family and childhood in Vienna, Austria. While still very young, Weissmann and his family fled the Nazi Anschluss. After their journey from Vienna to Italy, Paris, and London, and before finally reaching New York, Weissmann developed a political awareness at a young age. Throughout his youth in New York City, Weissmann's father, also a rheumatologist, exerted a positive influence on Gerald's own career path. Additionally, Weissmann was influenced and mentored by his father's friend and colleague, the famed pathologist, Paul D. Klemperer. After earning a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Columbia College, Weissmann, entered medical school at New York University [NYU], citing his love of science as a primary reason for following such a career path. Following an internship year at Mount Sinai Hospital, Weissmann entered the army and, while stationed at Fort Dix Army Hospital in New Jersey, he published his first scientific paper. Following his time in the army, Weissmann faced a decision between following a purely clinical career in rheumatology, like his father, or an academic one, focused on medicine and rheumatology research. Having opted for the research career, Weissmann continued his residency program at Mount Sinai Hospital and became chief resident at Bellevue Hospital under Lewis Thomas. Concurrent with his residency, Weissmann undertook research at NYU with Severo Ochoa. After becoming an Instructor in Medicine at NYU, Weissmann traveled to the Strangeways Research Laboratory at the University of Cambridge to collaborate with Dame Honor Fell studying the effects of excess Vitamin A on bone rudiment and cartilage. At approximately the same time, Weissmann's research transitioned from studying lysosomes into studying lipids. In the mid-1960s, Weissmann, along with close friend, Alec D. Bangham, discovered liposomes and developed a new field of research. In 1982 Weissmann and E. C. [Jack] Whitehead founded The Liposome Company, which received FDA approval for the drugs Abelcet and Myocet. In this oral history, Weissmann also discusses, in great detail, the origins of the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program. Although he heaped most praise on Joshua Lederberg for the program, Weissmann also described his influence and that of other early Advisory Board members. Contrasting the Pew funding for biomedical scientists with larger funding bodies like the NIH, Weissmann extolled the benefits of funding creative young scientists. In conclusion, Weissmann discusses his own popular scientific writings and larger issues in the history and sociology of science.