Arthur Fisher Kohrman
Died
Dr. Arthur F. Kohrman, 84, a pediatrician, ethicist, teacher and mentor, passed away on September 19 at home in Bernard, Maine.
Dr. Kohrman guided Chicago's renowned La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center during the 1980s and 1990s. As president and CEO he significantly furthered the institution's mission of bringing high-quality care to chronically ill children most often from disadvantaged communities.
Dr. Kohrman was a powerful voice in Chicago medicine and health policy for many years. While at La Rabida, he was a professor at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine, where he chaired the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which vets all human research proposals.
On the national stage, Dr. Kohrman was chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Bioethics during a period in which new technologies were raising profound new issues in the care of children and adolescents.
In later years, he moved to the faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital. Continuing his great interest in ethical research, he chaired the IRBs of both the Illinois and Chicago
Departments of Public Health. For a time, he was also acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
A native of Cleveland, who earned his degree from the Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and served in the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Kohrman
specialized in pediatric endocrinology. Intensely interested in medical education, he was on the first faculty of Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, and was a consultant to many schools, including the University of California, Berkeley. He served on many boards, but the causes closest to his heart were the medical care of disadvantaged children and training of young health professionals in public service. To those ends, he was the longtime board president of Interfaith House (now The Boulevard), a transitional care facility for people who are homeless, and a board member of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, which trains health-focused graduate students in public service.
In his last year as a Maine resident, where he had enjoyed a summer home for 37 years, he was able to pursue his love for classical and jazz music, photography, art, nature, literature and watching the Chicago Cubs with friends and family.
Dr. Kohrman is survived by his wife and life-long partner of 67 years Claire (Hoffenberg) Kohrman, daughter Deborah and husband Paul Dion, son Benjamin and wife Melissa Riba, daughter Ellen and husband Mark Lancaster, and daughter Rachel and husband, Reinaldo Ramos. He is also survived by his 8 grandchildren, whom he viewed as his most important legacy; Noah and Sarah Dion, Marie and Lilah Kohrman, Leah and Mack Lancaster, and Eliza and Julia Ramos. He is predeceased by his parents and brother, David Kohrman (Michelle Dudro). A memorial service will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, at Temple Tifereth Israel. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Arthur Kohrman's name to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, The Boulevard or the Storycatchers Theater. Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com .
Dr. Kohrman guided Chicago's renowned La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center during the 1980s and 1990s. As president and CEO he significantly furthered the institution's mission of bringing high-quality care to chronically ill children most often from disadvantaged communities.
Dr. Kohrman was a powerful voice in Chicago medicine and health policy for many years. While at La Rabida, he was a professor at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine, where he chaired the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which vets all human research proposals.
On the national stage, Dr. Kohrman was chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Bioethics during a period in which new technologies were raising profound new issues in the care of children and adolescents.
In later years, he moved to the faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital. Continuing his great interest in ethical research, he chaired the IRBs of both the Illinois and Chicago
Departments of Public Health. For a time, he was also acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
A native of Cleveland, who earned his degree from the Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and served in the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Kohrman
specialized in pediatric endocrinology. Intensely interested in medical education, he was on the first faculty of Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, and was a consultant to many schools, including the University of California, Berkeley. He served on many boards, but the causes closest to his heart were the medical care of disadvantaged children and training of young health professionals in public service. To those ends, he was the longtime board president of Interfaith House (now The Boulevard), a transitional care facility for people who are homeless, and a board member of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, which trains health-focused graduate students in public service.
In his last year as a Maine resident, where he had enjoyed a summer home for 37 years, he was able to pursue his love for classical and jazz music, photography, art, nature, literature and watching the Chicago Cubs with friends and family.
Dr. Kohrman is survived by his wife and life-long partner of 67 years Claire (Hoffenberg) Kohrman, daughter Deborah and husband Paul Dion, son Benjamin and wife Melissa Riba, daughter Ellen and husband Mark Lancaster, and daughter Rachel and husband, Reinaldo Ramos. He is also survived by his 8 grandchildren, whom he viewed as his most important legacy; Noah and Sarah Dion, Marie and Lilah Kohrman, Leah and Mack Lancaster, and Eliza and Julia Ramos. He is predeceased by his parents and brother, David Kohrman (Michelle Dudro). A memorial service will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, at Temple Tifereth Israel. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Arthur Kohrman's name to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, The Boulevard or the Storycatchers Theater. Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com .
Source: Chicago Tribune
Published on: 29-09-2019