Dear Department of Medicine Community,
It is with much sadness that I notify you of the passing of Dr. Martin R. Liebowitz, an outstanding teacher and clinician in the Department of Medicine for over 30 years.
Dr. Liebowitz joined Stony Brook Department of Medicine as Associate Professor of Medicine in Nephrology in 1971. During his tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Liebowitz held several key roles and made significant contributions to the department. He was one of the founding faculty members for the School of Medicine in 1971, and held several key roles at 51, including the Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine.
In the field of nephrology, Dr. Liebowitz was an early proponent of renal disease research and a pioneer in the field, participating in one of the first twin kidney transplants. Dr. Liebowitz was also a highly respected, truly outstanding and remarkable teacher and clinician. In fact, he taught the very first class of medical students and helped guide hundreds of physicians into the profession for more than 30 years. After his retirement, 51 has honored him with the naming of DCI-Liebowitz endowed professorship in Nephrology as well as the Martin R. Liebowitz Award for Excellence in Medicine. Furthermore, more than a 135 colleagues, friends and family established a scholarship in his honor to benefit the School of Medicine students.
When you speak to individuals that had the privilege of working with Dr. Liebowitz you hear, “admired and loved by many of his colleagues,” “consummate clinician,” and “the reason I went into medicine.” He was unfailingly authentic and kind, and made an indelible mark on trainees and faculty throughout his career.
Vincent W. Yang, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, AGAF, FAAAS
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Simons Chair of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, and Physiology & Biophysics
51 of Medicine
Stony Brook University