 | Dr. Robert M. Donaldson Jr. |
Dr. Robert M. Donaldson Jr., the David Paige Smith Professor Emeritus and former deputy dean at the School of Medicine, died at age 75 on July 8 in West Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Professor Donaldson and his Yale colleagues Kathleen Lundgren and Howard Spiro recently edited "The Yale Guide to Careers in Medicine and the Health Professions." (Yale Press, May 2003).
A member of the Yale faculty since 1973, Professor Donaldson served as the School of Medicine's deputy dean 1987-1991 and acting dean 1991-1993. During his career at Yale he was chief of the medical service at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven and vice chair and acting chair of the Department of Internal Medicine.
Professor Donaldson conducted research on the role of certain bacteria in gastrointestinal function and in diseases that cause malabsorption. He also investigated basic mechanisms in the absorption of vitamin B12 and the secretion of gastric intrinsic factor. His clinical studies related to peptic ulcer disease, chronic liver disease and physician usage of diagnostic technology. This research is cited in over 100 publications.
He headed a research program in gastroenterology and, upon retirement in 1997, became an active clinician in the AIDS clinic and played a leading role in the development of the AIDS Care Program at Yale. He also continued his work as a clinical tutor to first- and second-year medical students.
"Bob's impact on Yale's students, resident physicians, faculty, Department of Medicine, and medical school is inestimable," says his colleague Dr. Leo Cooney, the Humana Foundation Professor of Geriatric Medicine and section chief of Internal Medicine/Geriatrics. "Bob set and expected high standards, but was extremely supportive in helping his colleagues meet these standards. His greatest legacy is the hundreds of students, residents and faculty members whose careers he assisted with his sage advice, direction and support."
Professor Donaldson was a graduate of Yale University and the Boston University School of Medicine. His awards include the American Gastroenterological Association's Friedenwald Medal, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field, and Boston University's Distinguished Alumnus Award. He was also honored as a VA Distinguished Physician. Over the course of his career, he was on the faculty of six medical schools.
From 1967 to 1972, Professor Donaldson chaired the advisory committee for the National Institutes of Health training programs in gastroenterology and nutrition. He also edited the journal Gastroenterology 1970-1977, and edited and served on the editorial boards of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Investigation and the American Journal of Medicine.
He was a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He was a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine 1984-1990 and served on its executive board in 1987.
Professor Donaldson is survived by his wife, Ellen; sons Robert of Cambridge, Vermont, and John of Brattleboro, Vermont; stepdaughters Susan Garvey of San Francisco, California, and Katie McKee of Berkeley, California; stepson John Garvey of Pasadena, California; and five grandchildren.
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