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The Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Professor of Medicine Endowed Chair in Nephrology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center was established in 2001 with Dr. Andrew S. Levey as its first recipient.
Gerald J. Friedman, MD was an internist known as a superb diagnostician, as well as a specialist in diabetes, cardiac disease, endocrinology, and nutrition.
A lifelong New Yorker, Dr. Friedman earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from New York University College, returning to teach there for most of his career. After serving as commanding officer at the 222nd Station Hospital in World War II, he joined the staff of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, where he remained for the rest of his career, serving on almost every significant committee and as President of the Medical Board.
Dr. Friedman always maintained an active practice and a reputation for thorough physical examinations in the city. For more than 30 years beginning in 1957, he was also international medical director for the United Parcel Service, and an active member of the Industrial Medical Association.
He wrote extensively on the management of diabetes, especially in the workplace, at a time when many employers discriminated against people with diabetes. He also helped the New York Diabetes Association establish a summer camp in upstate New York for children with diabetes.
While playing saxophone during his days as a medical intern, Dr. Friedman met and married Dorothy Ross, a Boston-born jazz pianist and recording artist. While Mrs. Friedman stopped performing professionally after her husband finished his residency, her private playing has always entertained the Ross and Friedman families and friends.
Dr. Friedman died on November 25, 2004 at the age of 91. He is survived by his wife Dorothy and his niece, Jane Friedman.
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