Obituaries: Abraham Lilienfeld Dies Suddenly at 63, August 6, 1984

Dr. Abraham Lilienfeld, one of the most widely known, well-liked, and highly respected leaders in epidemiology, died suddenly on August 6. He collapsed at the Baltimore railroad station on his way home from an Institute of Medicine meeting in Washington convened to review a proposed USPHS protocol on Reye’s syndrome. Rescuers arrived within minutes but resuscitation efforts failed. “Abe,” as he was called by friends and colleagues, was apparently in good health and spirits right up to the time of his death.

Obituaries

Obituaries published in local and national newspapers described him as a teacher and leader in the field and as a pioneer in chronic disease epidemiology. “He was a consummate teacher who cared deeply for students, past and present,” said Hopkins Dean D. A. Henderson in a New York Times obituary. He added, “In working tirelessly to improve public health, his life and his contributions in a sense affected the lives of all.”

The teacher colleagues contacted by The Epidemiology Monitor also emphasized Dr. Lilienfeld’s role as a teacher. “He was a person who believed in epidemiology as an approach to solving problems, as a way of improving people’s health,” said Dr. Lew Kuller, a former student of Dr. Lilienfeld’s and now chairman of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. “He instilled this vision of epidemiology,” added Dr. Kuller “and his greatest contribution was as a teacher, as a person able to make others enthusiastic. His greatest joy was to take a chalk to the blackboard.”

Another former colleague focused on Dr. Lilienfeld’s skill as a teacher. “He was always teaching, always interested and alert,” said Paul Stolley, former Hopkins faculty member now at the University of Pennsylvania. He added, “Abe showed as much vitality and enthusiasm in teaching Epidemiology I as the most junior instructors. If a student was slow, he only saw this as more of a challenge.”

The Person

Actually colleagues seemed more eager to remember “Abe” as a person than to focus on his numerous accomplishments. “He was kindly and had great warmth,” said National Eye Institute epidemiologist Fred Ederer who worked with Dr. Lilienfeld on many committees. Almost everyone we spoke to had a story to tell testifying to the qualities noted by Fred Ederer. For example, “the first time I saw him was at a meeting where someone presented a terrible paper,” said Dr. Stolley, adding “he was torn apart by some, but ‘Abe’ stood up, congratulated him for selecting an interesting but difficult topic, and proceeded to offer concrete suggestions to improve the work.”

Dr. Lilienfeld was a member of Epi Monitor’s Advisory Board. His early support and continuing encouragement will always be remembered.

He is survived by his wife Lorraine, three children, Saul, David, and Julie and several grandchildren.
Several memorial services or commemorative events are being planned including those at the ACE meeting this month, one at Johns Hopkins on September 24, and another at APHA later this year.

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