Howard Sussman, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pathology, died in Palo Alto on July 14, 2022. He was 87 years old. Sussman is best known for coordinating the integration and automation of clinical pathology laboratory operations at Stanford University in the early 1970s.
“Howard Sussman has been a beloved and devoted advocate for the Laboratory of Clinical Pathology at Stanford University for many years. Lloyd MinorMD, Dean Faculty of Medicine“He has devised and implemented significant upgrades to the clinical pathology laboratory information system to keep it functioning efficiently for decades, and created a culture of respect and learning much admired by his colleagues and trainees.” His impact on the Department of Pathology is lasting and much appreciated.”
During his medical residency at the National Institutes of Health early in his training, Sussman first demonstrated that humans have at least three genes encoding alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme important for metabolism and development. . Later in his career, his lab was the first to identify and characterize the receptor for transferrin.
Sussman was born on October 21, 1934 in Portland, Oregon. After attending the University of Oregon, he earned his master’s degree and medical degree from the Oregon Health and Science College. He completed residencies at Columbia University and his NIH.
While at NIH, Sussman worked closely with Ernest Cotlove, MD to integrate computers into laboratory workflows by developing a computerized laboratory information system for the research institute.
Sussman was recruited to Stanford University in 1970 by David Korn, MD. Cohn was tasked with reimagining and reorganizing the department after the school moved from San Francisco to Palo Alto in 1959.
“Howard was a strongly research-oriented, continuously funded researcher and a member of the department’s evolving research unit,” Cohn recalled in 2012. biography“During his years at NIH, Howard developed a keen insight into clinical laboratory operations and began to focus on automating clinical laboratory operations at Stanford University Hospital.”
In charge of the lab
In 1974 Sussman became Director of the Clinical Laboratory, and shortly thereafter the department was accredited by the American Association of Pathologists. With Korn, he developed a new billing system for laboratory testing services. This was the source of funding for the Department of Pathology for many years to come.
“Howard helped reimagine Stanford Medicine’s clinical pathology laboratory into one more efficient enterprise with a 30-year-old bespoke laboratory information system.” James Zender, MD, Director of Clinical Pathology, Professor of Pathology and Medicine. “He hired me into the pathology department. His many contributions to the sector will be missed and remembered.”
Sussman’s colleagues and students describe him as a thoughtful and caring teacher, a Renaissance reader, and an avid athlete who enjoyed handball, baseball, and long weekends of cycling in the hills surrounding campus. I remember it was He liked unique foods and cars, loved history, and often said he would have become a history professor if he hadn’t gone to medical school.
He was also a devoted family man. He and his wife Nielda passed away in his 2014 and from 1971 he lived in Portola He Valley home until 2016 where he raised his three children.
He is survived by his children Sarah Sussman, Lai Sussman and Daniel Sussman. and six grandchildren.
A memorial service was held on July 18 at the Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California.
Family suggests donations in his memory Peninsula Open Space Trust, hyas, Jewish Family and Child Servicesor to a charity of your choice.
