Jerome Kowal, the Amasa B. Ford Professor Emeritus of Geriatric Medicine, passed away Dec. 23. He was 84.
After completing his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, Kowal, a native of New York City, came to Cleveland in 1970 as an associate professor of medicine and pharmacology. From there, he went on to serve as chief of medical service the Cleveland VA Medical Center from 1974-77.
His career honors include:
- the first Geriatric Leadership Academic Award from the National Institute on Aging,
- the Dr. Arnold L. Heller Memorial Award for Excellence in Gerontology and Geriatrics,
- the Outstanding Gerontology Educator in the State of Ohio and
- the 2004 Excellence in Teaching Award at CWRU.
Throughout his career, Kowal authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts.
A pioneer in geriatrics, Kowal impacted CWRU through his vision and leadership, building student interest and developing a collaboration among the School of Medicine, the VA and University Hospitals.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 27, at 10 a.m. in Severance Hall’s Reinberger Auditorium. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to The Hospice of the Western Reserve, The Cleveland Orchestra or Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Kowal’s full obituary is available online.