NYU Medical Center Mourns the Passing of its Former Longtime Dean and Provost, Saul J. Farber, M.D.

It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you of the death of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Saul J. Farber, M.D., former longtime Dean of NYU School of Medicine. He died this morning at Tisch Hospital at the age of 88.

To countless faculty and alumni, Dr. Farber was a revered figure who embodied the spirit of NYU Medical Center for several decades and shaped its course during a pivotal period of our history.

Saul Farber’s love affair with NYU – that’s the only way to describe it – spanned seven decades, beginning in 1935, when he enrolled in the University as an undergraduate. After earning a degree in chemistry, he became a student at NYU School of Medicine, receiving his M.D. in 1942 at the age of 23. Following a nine-month internship at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, he was summoned to active duty during World War II. As a Lieutenant in the U. S. Navy Medical Corps, he tended to the wounds of servicemen, here in the U.S. and in the South Pacific, from 1943 to 1946.

Returning home, Dr. Farber became a resident on the NYU research service at Goldwater Memorial Hospital, and later at Bellevue Hospital. In 1949 he became a fellow in the Department of Medicine. In 1966 he was named Chairman of the Department of Medicine, and two years later he was appointed Director of Medicine at Bellevue. He served in both capacities until 2000. He was named the Frederick H. King Professor of Medicine in 1978.

After serving three separate stints as Acting Dean (1963-66, 1979-81, and 1982-87), in 1987 Dr. Farber was appointed Dean of the School of Medicine and Provost of NYU Medical Center, positions he held until 1998, when I was proud to be named his successor, and prouder still to be named the Saul J. Farber Dean.

Even as he rose to assume leadership of the entire Medical Center, Dr. Farber continued to maintain an active teaching schedule. He was known to be particularly devoted to third-year students, whose medical clerkship he regarded as a key period of development for doctors-in-training. His Saturday morning rounds, laced with aphorisms in the tradition of Osler, achieved legendary status.

Dr. Farber was equally passionate about Bellevue Hospital, our primary teaching affiliate, whose patients he often described as "our teachers." The late Dr. Lewis Thomas, Dean of the School from 1966 to 1969, famously described Dr. Farber and his dear friend, the late Dr. Sherwood Lawrence, as "the best clinician-scientists I have ever encountered." He also noted that Dr. Farber was "in love with Bellevue – the whole hospital." Following Dr. Farber’s example, NYU physicians volunteered their services at Bellevue in record numbers. Not surprisingly, Dr. Farber chose the 16th Floor of Bellevue as the location for his office when he was Dean. On the day after September 11, 2001, The New York Times described Saul, leaning heavily on his cane, as one of the first to arrive at Bellevue’s ambulance bay to see if he could help.

As a researcher, Dr. Farber expanded our knowledge of the links between the kidneys and two serious diseases, hypertension and congestive heart failure. In other ways as well, his influence extended well beyond the borders of our campus. A member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, he served a President of the American College of Physicians, Chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Chairman of the Board of the New York Academy of Medicine, member of the New York City Board of Health, and Editor of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences.

Appointed to the New York State Task Force on Life and Law by then Governor Mario Cuomo, Dr. Farber played an instrumental role in the development of the historic Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) statute that detailed procedures to promote doctor-patient and doctor-surrogate discussion concerning Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). In 1995 the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) honored him with its Abraham Flexner Award for "contributions to medical education of a nation scope." He was twice honored with great teacher awards, by the American College of Physicians and the NYU Alumni Association.

Few physicians leave for their legacy a life so well spent and so distinguished in so many areas. Depending on whom you ask, Dr. Farber’s greatness rested on his skills as a clinician, a researcher, a mentor, a leader, or all of the above. Those remarkable skills were still in evidence until fairly recently, when he would attend Clinical Case Conferences, offering keen insights drawn from more than half a century of experience. "My life is medicine," Saul Farber often said, "and it’s a great life." Indeed it was.

We will miss Dr. Farber greatly, but we can take comfort in the fact that he lives on in the hearts and minds of many. On behalf of the enter Medical Center community, I extend heartfelt condolences to his wife, Doris, and his entire family.

Robert M. Glickman, M.D.
Saul J. Farber Dean
NYU School of Medicine

CEO
NYU Hospitals Center

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