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Moshe B. Goldgraber, MD |
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Moshe B. Goldgraber, MD, MS '64, rarely placed his hands in his pockets. In fact, when the gifted Israeli physician-scientist entered an exam room, he always grasped his patients' hands first before inquiring about their condition.
"He used to take the hand of every patient as a way of connecting, but he was also taking their pulse," says Cheri Fox, Goldgraber's daughter-in-law. "He was doing a clinical evaluation as well as developing an interpersonal relationship and I think that, in many ways, characterized his style."
Goldgraber, a gastroenterology fellow at the University of Chicago in the 1950s, died in November 2007 at the age of 94. However, his legacy lives on thanks to the Dr. Moshe B. Goldgraber Advanced Fellowship in Digestive Diseases and Related Disorders program that Cheri and his son, Hayim Goldgraber, established on his 85th birthday.
Program exposes trainees to research and clinical practices
Since its inception in 2000, the Fellowship has funded two years of study in gastroenterology for several Israeli physicians. Cheri and Hayim made another significant gift that will allow three additional Goldgraber Fellows to be trained over the next six years. The program-one of the most prestigious fellowships in gastroenterology for young trainees-offers candidates exposure to Chicago's specialized research methods and clinical practices.
Upon completion of the program, the candidates return to Israel to share their training with others, and to continue advancing the research and treatment of gastroenterology disorders.
"For Israeli physician-scientists, the Goldgraber Fellowship has afforded mutual opportunities to interact and learn from our experienced clinicians and researchers, and for our section to host these incredibly committed doctors and their families," says Stephen Hanauer, MD, GIRF Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology and Section Chief of Gastroenterology.
In 1952, Dr. Goldgraber arrived at the University of Chicago, which was home to one of the preeminent GI sections in the country. He was among a group of young doctors selected by the Israeli Ministry of Health to participate in one year of specialized training at various medical centers in the United States to help advance the fledgling state's government hospital system and to upgrade its clinical services. He returned to the University in 1955 for an additional 10 years to collaborate with Joseph Kirsner, MD, PhD, the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine, and the late Walter Palmer, MD.
"One of the more productive periods of my scientific life was due to Dr. Goldgraber's presence and energy," Kirsner recalls. "We wrote and published numerous papers together on the subject of inflammatory bowel disease."
More than a half century later, Hayim anticipates that the experience provided by the Dr. Moshe B. Goldgraber Advanced Fellowship in Digestive Diseases and Related Disorders will be just as impactful for other Israeli doctors
Pleased with the success of the program, Cheri Fox and Hayim Goldgraber look forward to the day that many Israeli medical centers will be filled with University of Chicago-trained gastroenterologists. Like Dr. Goldgraber, those fellows will also have an opportunity to leave their mark on the Israeli medical scene.
"My father was of the old guard," Hayim adds. "He was someone with not only superb clinical instincts, but very much a tenacious researcher. He was also a doctor with all of the finest bedside manners."
For more information on the Dr. Moshe B. Goldgraber Advanced Fellowship in Digestive Diseases and Related Disorders, contact Allison Steinhauser at 773-834-2231.
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