Mourning the Loss of a Cherished Mentor and Colleague
On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Dr. Brian Cohen, a valued mentor and colleague, passed away following a long illness. He was 73.
Dr. Cohen teaching students using the ob-gyn simulation mannequins
A native of Zimbabwe, Dr. Cohen joined the faculty of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health at Einstein in 1984 and the attending staff at Montefiore in 1985. He and several colleagues left South Africa to come to Einstein-Montefiore because of their revulsion towards apartheid. He was director of the department’s residency program at Montefiore for nearly 30 years, as well as director of reproductive endocrinology at Jacobi Medical Center.
His greatest love was mentoring, and countless students, residents, fellows, and colleagues were the beneficiaries of his tutelage. In spite of his ailments, Dr. Cohen continued to teach on the reproductive endocrinology and infertility rotation and in continuity clinics until his final days.
“It brought Brian great joy to know that he might help educate and inspire the next generation of residents and faculty,” said Dr. Sharmila Makhija, professor and chair of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health in a note to her department members.
“Brian was deeply passionate about education,” recalled Dr. Erika Banks, current director of the residency program. “He enriched the learning experience for so many of us with his anecdotal teachings, questions at Tuesday morning conference, weekly patient education handouts, and overall presence in the department. We are all just a small part of the vast legacy of learners and mentees that he leaves behind.”
Dr. Cohen’s mentorship earned him countless teaching accolades, including election to Einstein’s Leo M. Davidoff Society for Excellence in Teaching in 1993, selection as the society’s president in 1998, and the medical school’s Samuel M. Rosen Outstanding Teacher Award, chosen by the class of 1997 and presented at graduation.
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe on January 7, 1945, Dr. Cohen attended University of Cape Town and earned his medical degree at the university’s medical school. After completing his postdoctoral training and residency in both South Africa and in England, he became a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists in 1976. He also was a clinical and laboratory fellow in endocrinology and chemical endocrinology at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, in London. He then came to the United States, where he passed his federal licensing examination in New York, in 1984.
“Brian’s legacy will live on through the hundreds of students and residents that he trained,” said Dr. Nadine Katz, who learned from Dr. Cohen first as an Einstein student and then as a resident and a colleague. “He made the department feel like a family; it was his extended family, and he will be missed dearly.”
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Posted on: Friday, September 14, 2018