In Memoriam
Faculty
Saundra Curry, MD, professor of anesthesiology, died Oct. 6, 2024.
Richard Deckelbaum, MD, Robert R. Williams Professor of Nutrition, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, died Oct. 2, 2024.
Jose de Jesus Contreras, MD, clinical professor of urology, died Aug.15, 2024.
Joel Delfiner, MD, formerly associated with the Department of Neurology, died Aug. 29, 2024.
Dale Hesdorffer, PhD, professor of epidemiology in the Sergievsky Center, died Jan. 22, 2024.
Arthur Karlin, PhD, Higgins Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, died Sept. 20, 2024.
Philip Lister, MD, lecturer in psychiatry, died June 22, 2024.
Carl Olsson, MD, former chair of the Department of Urology, died Oct. 3, 2024.
Susan Spear, MD, former assistant clinical professor of pediatrics, died July 30, 2024. Read more in Alumni In Memoriam (Class of 1972).
Marvin Wasserman, MD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry, died March 19, 2024.
Alumni
1956
Louis “Lou” Scian, an internist who practiced for many years at Suncoast Medical Clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida, died March 8, 2024. He was 92. Born in Italy, he emigrated to America as a boy, settling with his parents in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Princeton. He completed a medical residency in Tokyo, Japan, while serving three years in the U.S. Air Force. He and his family returned to New Jersey and St. Petersburg, settling after retirement in South Carolina. Dr. Scian was an avid bridge player and football fan. He is survived by four children and six grandchildren.
1962
Thomas Reese, a world leader in structural neuroscience, died Oct. 11, 2024, at the age of 89. He spent six decades at the NIH, ultimately as a senior investigator and chief of the Section on Structural Cell Biology in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Intramural Program. He developed cutting-edge applications that fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of synapses and cells in the brain, as well as the barrier separating the brain from the bloodstream. Late in his career, Dr. Reese focused on the evolution of the nervous system. While maintaining his appointment at the NIH, Dr. Reese also set up a laboratory at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA, to study giant axons in squid. He held a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and completed a medical internship at Boston City Hospital before joining the NIH as a research associate. He left briefly for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Anatomy at Harvard Medical School in 1965. Dr Reese was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1987.
Spencer E. Sherman, an ophthalmologist and surgeon in New York, died July 27, 2024. He was 88. He served as a U.S. Army Medical Corps captain from 1963 to 1965. In 1970, Dr. Sherman was named chief of the Eye Department of the Hospital for Joint Diseases of New York and a consulting ophthalmologist for the United Nations. He practiced in New York for more than 53 years, serving as a clinical professor and attending surgeon in the Department of Ophthalmology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and attending surgeon at the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital. He founded Manhattan Ophthalmology Associates. As one of the founders and early chairs of the Museum of Vision of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Sherman donated his antique ophthalmology book collection to the museum. He also collected antique ophthalmological instruments and memorabilia, donating that collection to Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Sherman enjoyed tennis and golf and was an amateur artist and enthusiastic singer. He is survived by his wife, Sue, two daughters, five grandchildren, and a sister.
1965
Brent W. Lambert, an ophthalmologist and devoted leader within his church, died July 24, 2024, shy of his 85th birthday. Born in San Francisco, he attended Harvard College and later completed his residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He also served two years in the Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi. He lost an eye to cancer. Dr. Lambert was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as bishop, stake president, and mission leader. After retiring in Naples, Florida, he decided in 1997 to start an entrepreneurial project, the Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America, and developed over 70 surgical centers throughout his career. He ultimately settled in Salt Lake City. Dr. Lambert is survived by his second wife, Christie, four children, four step-children, 34 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
1966
John McDowell Wolff, an internist specializing in endocrinology and metabolism, died June 11, 2024, at age 83. He had Alzheimer’s disease for nine years. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Vanderbilt University. He remained in New York City for his internship and residency at Bellevue Hospital before taking a role with the Communicable Disease Center’s Epidemic Intelligence Service in 1968. He returned to New York City in 1970 for his second year of residency at Harlem Hospital Center and later completed a fellowship in endocrinology at Vanderbilt University. He was on the medical staff of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital from 1974 until his retirement in 2013. He served as a designated medical practitioner for Canadian and Australian immigration, a role he appreciated for its interaction with intellectuals and scientists. Dr. Wolff was a member of the American College of Physicians, the Endocrine Society, the Medical Association of Atlanta, and the Medical Association of Georgia. He enjoyed nature, running, reading American history, and classical music. Dr. Wolff is survived by his wife, Ellen, two children, three step-children, and three step-grandchildren.
1970
Gordon Page Guthrie Jr., known for his research in diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, died May 28, 2024. He was 79. Born in New York City, he attended Yale University and completed his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He completed a fellowship at the McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal. Afterward, Dr. Guthrie joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where he became chief of endocrinology. He later practiced at Baptist Health in Lexington. He authored the medical textbook “Hypertension and the Brain.” Possessing a quiet demeanor, Dr. Guthrie was an excellent golfer, accomplished pilot, and skier and enjoyed spending his time tending to his farm and garden. He is survived by two children, two grandchildren, and his beloved border terrier, Ozzie.
1972
Susan Spear, a pediatrician, hospital administrator, and affordable housing advocate, died in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on July 30, 2024, after fighting metastatic breast cancer for ten years. She was 78. Dr. Spear earned a degree in political science from Wellesley College in 1968. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Columbia, followed by a fellowship in adolescent medicine, and worked at Mount Sinai Hospital before opening a private practice in Tenafly and later Teaneck, New Jersey. In 1992, she became an executive at Columbia’s Presbyterian Hospital and helped facilitate the merger with Cornell to become NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She later worked as an executive for EHE Health, a preventive health care company. She and her husband split their time between New York City and Wellfleet, Massachusetts, where Dr. Spear was deeply invested in the town’s community, cultural, and civic life. She served on the board and executive committee of Wellfleet Preservation Hall, helped establish the annual “Taste of the Town” fundraiser, supported Habitat for Humanity, and served on the Wellfleet Local Housing Partnership. Since 2020, she enjoyed joining her husband on flights with their Cessna 172. She is survived by her husband, Ron, two children, and four grandchildren.
1973
Sharon Grundfest-Broniatowski, an esteemed surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, died June 17, 2024. She was 76. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied electrical engineering, and later completed her internship in general surgery at Roosevelt Hospital. She then pursued training in colon and rectal surgery at Cleveland Clinic, where she became an attending physician in 1982. Dr. Grundfest-Broniatowski broke barriers in fields dominated by men to make significant contributions to colorectal surgery, general surgery, and pancreas transplantation. She started the pancreas transplant program at Cleveland Clinic and developed extensive experience in breast disease, hernia repair, and minimally invasive surgery. She served as associate professor of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Her board certifications included the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. She was an accomplished concert pianist. She was interested in genealogy and spoke several languages. Her hobbies also included birdwatching and astrophotography. She is survived by two children and five grandchildren.
1983
R. Alexander Blackwood, a faculty member in the University of Michigan’s Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics for 33 years, died April 1, 2024. He was 68. Born in New York City, he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and MD/ PhD at Columbia. He completed a pediatric residency at Columbia and a fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. At Michigan, he was the faculty lead for the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion’s Leaders and Learners Pathways Program and the IRB vice chair for human subjects. Dr. Blackwood was instrumental in exposing high school and premedical students to medical careers, particularly those from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds, and helping them gain qualifications to apply for and succeed in medical school. He was a cherished mentor to many faculty members at Michigan. Dr. Blackwood and his wife attended Oakwood church for 30 years. One of his favorite sayings was “GGYB” or “God’s got your back.” He is survived by his wife, Nicole, four children, and eight grandchildren.
1988
Kenneth Joseph Powers, a urogynecologist who served the Bronx for 26 years at Montefiore Medical Center, died June 9, 2024, at his home in San Rafael, California. He was 66. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he attended the University of Chicago. He trained in family medicine before specializing in urogynecology. Besides spending time with family, nothing gave him more pleasure than sailing on the Long Island Sound or San Francisco Bay. It was Dr. Powers’ wish that his body be donated to UCSF. He is survived by his wife, Chris, three children, four grandchildren, and six siblings.
1993
Sean Elliott, a pediatrician, infectious disease specialist, and professor emeritus at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, died May 19, 2024. He was 56. Dr. Elliott attended the University of Chicago and completed his residency at Northwestern University School of Medicine before completing a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at St. Louis Children’s Hospital at Washington University. He was recognized three times for excellence in teaching in the clinical sciences and received multiple accolades for humanism in medicine, reflecting his commitment to the holistic well-being of the patients and families he served. He joined the University of Arizona in 1999 and served in multiple leadership roles, most recently as assistant vice president for curricular affairs. He was an avid musician, runner, and artist through carpentry. He taught himself the guitar and formed a band named Jammin’ with Jelly. He is survived by his wife, Kim, and a daughter.