Obituaries

James L. Borland Jr., MD, MACP

James (“Jim”) L. Borland Jr., MD, MACP, died on Jan. 30, 2018, at age 85.

He served as ACP Treasurer from 1992 to 1997, as an ACP Regent from 1992 to 1993, and as Governor of the Florida Chapter from 1988 to 1992.

He received his MD in 1958 at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and spent his internship year at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After training as a resident at both Johns Hopkins Hospital and Vanderbilt University Hospital, Dr. Borland went on to complete a gastroenterology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.

He then spent two years as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy at a naval air station. During that time, Dr. Borland moonlighted at his father's gastroenterology practice, which he joined in 1965.

He maintained his private practice until 1998 before serving as chief medical officer for the Jacksonville Veterans Administration (VA) Outpatient Clinic until 2002. From 2001 to 2011, Dr. Borland was assistant chief of staff for outpatient clinics for North Florida and South Georgia VA Health Systems.

He received many awards throughout his career, including ACP's Laureate Award for the Florida Chapter in 1992. A full obituary is online.

Eugene A. Hildreth, MD, MACP

Eugene A. (“Pat”) Hildreth, MD, MACP, died on Jan. 5, 2018, at age 93.

He served as an ACP Regent from 1988 to 1993 and as President of the College from 1991 to 1992.

Dr. Hildreth received his MD in 1947 from the University of Virginia. He completed his internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and then went on to serve as chief resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. From 1951 to 1953, he served in East Asia as chief medical officer of a MASH unit and as the personal physician for Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.

After completing his military service, Dr. Hildreth returned to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as professor of clinical medicine, the head of allergy and immunology, and special advisor to the dean at the Hospital. He later served as director of the department of medicine at Reading Hospital and Medical Center from 1968 to 1996 while he maintained an active medical practice.

Throughout his career, Dr. Hildreth published more than 150 articles, editorials, and chapters. He was also coauthor of the second edition of the ACP Ethics Manual and coauthor of ACP's first paper describing the need for universal access to health care.

A full obituary is online.

Richard B. Perry, MD, MACP

Richard B. Perry, MD, MACP, died on Dec. 10, 2017, at the age of 87.

He served as Governor of the ACP District of Columbia Chapter from 1992 to 1996 and was the chapter's first recipient of the ACP Chapter Centennial Legacy Award.

He earned his medical degree from Georgetown University before beginning a pulmonary fellowship at D.C. General Hospital. Then, after two years as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, Dr. Perry returned to Georgetown University and completed a cardiology fellowship.

In 1962, he entered private practice in Washington, D.C., and retired in 2001 from The Internists of Washington. Throughout his career, Dr. Perry maintained an academic relationship with Georgetown University and became clinical professor of medicine.

After retirement, he turned his attention to volunteering. Dr. Perry was a founding member of the Mercy Health Clinic, a low-cost clinic for uninsured patients, and volunteered his medical services. He also led annual medical missions in Haiti, which involved fundraising for medical equipment, establishing a medical library, and facilitating physician exchanges and training for Hôpital Sacré Coeur.

A full obituary is online.

Juan Luis Correa, MD, MACP

Juan Luis Correa, MD, MACP, former Governor of ACP's Central America Chapter, died on Nov. 10, 2017, according to the chapter.

He graduated in 1946 from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and then traveled to Panama to complete his internship at Santo Tomas Hospital and his internal medicine residency at Gorgas Hospital. Dr. Correa then completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at the Lahey Clinic in Boston.

In addition to his work as professor of semiology and gastroenterology at the University of Panama, he served as the first medical director of the Social Security Hospital in Panama. Dr. Correa was also a charter member of the Panamanian Society of Internal Medicine and a member of the Panamanian Society of Gastroenterology.

His term as Governor for the Central America Chapter spanned from 1984 to 1988. Dr. Correa received the ACP Laureate Award in 1995 and was named a Master of the College in 2003.

Daniel D. Federman, MD, MACP

Former ACP President Daniel D. Federman, MD, MACP, died on Sept. 6, 2017, at the age of 89.

He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1953 and was most recently a distinguished professor of medicine at the school, where his professional career spanned 63 years. An endocrinologist by training, Dr. Federman held several roles at the school, including dean for students and alumni (1977 to 1989) and dean for medical education (1989 to 2000).

He served as President of ACP from 1982 to 1983 and as a member of the College's Board of Regents from 1977 to 1984. Dr. Federman's awards from ACP included the Distinguished Teacher Award and Massachusetts Physician of the Year.

A full obituary and Harvard news release are available online.

Richard M. Engel, MD, FACP

Richard M. Engel, MD, FACP, died on July 5, 2017, at the age of 65.

He served as Governor of ACP's Maine Chapter from 2006 to 2010 and received the College's Laureate Award in 2011.

Most recently, Dr. Engel was a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine since 2009 and held the same position at the University of Vermont from 1980 to 2009.

During his 39-year career in internal medicine, his other roles included director of the division of general internal medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland and medical director of the Greater Portland Medical Group.

Dr. Engel graduated in 1978 from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and went on to complete his internal medicine residency at Maine Medical Center.

A full obituary is online.

Dennis Cope, MD, FACP

Former ACP Regent Dennis Cope, MD, FACP, died on June 27, 2017, at the age of 74.

Dr. Cope served as a member of ACP's Board of Regents from 2012 to 2016 and as Governor of ACP's Southern California Region I Chapter from 2008 to 2012. Most recently, he was professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and chief of medicine at Olive View–UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Cope completed his internal medicine residency in 1973, as well as a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism in 1975, at UCLA Medical Center.

A full obituary is available online.

Donald B. Hunton, MD, FACP

Donald B. Hunton, MD, FACP, died on May 1, 2017, at the age of 89.

Dr. Hunton graduated at the top of his class in both high school and college in his home state of Wyoming. He went on to receive his MD in 1954 from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. He then completed his medical training as a gastroenterology fellow at the Mayo Clinic.

In 1961, Dr. Hunton returned to Wyoming to practice medicine and later cofounded an internal medicine group, where he cared for patients as a gastroenterologist until his retirement in 1992.

Dr. Hunton served as Governor of ACP's Wyoming Chapter from 1985 to 1988. He was also president of the Wyoming Medical Society.

In 2015, ACP's centennial year, Dr. Hunton received the Chapter Centennial Legacy Award for his professional contributions to the College.

A full obituary is available online.

Mansour Saberi, MD, MACP

Mansour Saberi, MD, MACP, a former ACP Governor, died on April 9, 2017, at the age of 77.

Born in Iran, Dr. Saberi graduated from Tehran University School of Medicine in 1966 before moving to the U.S. to continue his medical training. He then completed his fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Dr. Saberi went on to practice and teach at several institutions before serving as chair of the department of medicine at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, Del., from 1976 to 1982. He remained at the hospital for more than 40 years, serving as medical director of the diabetes and wound care center and establishing a center for osteoporosis and metabolic and bone disorders.

Dr. Saberi served as Governor for ACP's Delaware Chapter from 2004 to 2008 and on the Volunteerism Committee from 2007 to 2009. He demonstrated a commitment to the success of international doctors, sponsoring several Iranian physicians for fellowships and establishing a committee for the Delaware Chapter to recruit members from across the world.

A full obituary is available online.

Rolf M. Gunnar, MD, MACP

Former ACP Governor Rolf M. Gunnar, MD, MACP, died on March 18, 2017, at the age of 91.

Dr. Gunnar completed his medical degree at Northwestern University in 1949 as a member of the V-12 Navy College Training Program during World War II. His residency training at Cook County Hospital was paused as he served as a U.S. Army Captain and Battalion Surgeon in the Second Infantry Division.

After earning battle stars and the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device to denote valor, Dr. Gunnar resumed and completed his residency and privately practiced with his father until 1959 in Berwyn, Ill. He then completed a fellowship in cardiology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Gunnar was director of adult cardiology and the division of medicine at Cook County Hospital and was a professor of medicine and director of the section of cardiology at the University of Illinois. He later became professor medicine and chief of the section of cardiology, and later chairman of medicine, at Loyola University Medical Center. The researcher also published more than 400 scientific papers and abstracts and coauthored a book on shock in myocardial infarction.

Dr. Gunnar served as Governor of the ACP Illinois Northern Chapter from 1980 to 1984. He was Treasurer of ACP's Board of Regents (BOR) from 1985 to 1991, a Regent from 1991 to 1994, and Chair of the BOR from 1992 to 1993.

After retiring from medicine, Dr. Gunnar became chair of the board of directors for BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center, a charity he cofounded with his wife. In 2015, he received the Centennial Legacy Award for the Illinois Northern Chapter of ACP.

A full obituary is online.

Jeremiah G. Tilles, MD, MACP

Former ACP Governor Jeremiah G. Tilles, MD, MACP, died in January 2017, according to a letter from ACP Southern California, Region II Governor Alpesh Amin, MD, MBA, MACP. A public obituary is unavailable.

Dr. Tilles arrived at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine in 1971 as chief of the division of infectious diseases and later created the UCI Fellowship in Infectious Diseases and mentored fellows as an attending for three decades.

In 1974, he became the institution's second chair of the department of medicine and held the position until 1991, when he became associate dean for students. Later, Dr. Tilles became associate dean for clinical faculty and held the position until recently. He served as governor of the ACP Southern California, Region II Chapter from 1984 to 1988.

Dr. Tilles served as chairman of ACP's Government Liaison Committee for many years and is the namesake behind ACP's annual Tilles Award, which recognizes physicians who foster education, career growth, and innovative programs. “He will be remembered as an outstanding and much-loved teacher, clinician and administrator whose mark will long be felt here at UC Irvine and in the American College Physicians,” Dr. Amin wrote.

Joseph T. Painter, MD, MACP

Joseph T. Painter, MD, MACP, who served as president of the American Society of Internal Medicine from 1970 to 1971, died on Jan. 4, 2017, at the age of 89.

He graduated in 1949 as valedictorian of his medical class at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and began his residency in internal medicine and cardiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. However, Dr. Painter's training was interrupted by the Korean War in 1951, when he joined the United States Air Force. He served as a physician in San Antonio and attained the rank of captain.

After completing his military service, Dr. Painter returned to Philadelphia and finished his medical training in 1954. He then returned to Texas and continued private practice as an internist and cardiologist in Houston until 1975, when he began a new career path in cancer prevention. Dr. Painter then became a professor of clinical medicine and vice president of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he served in various administrative roles until his retirement in 1994.

Dr. Painter also served in several medical leadership positions until his retirement: chairman of the American Medical Association (AMA) from 1990 to 1992, president of the AMA from 1993 to 1994, and chairman of the World Medical Association Council from 1993 to 1995.

A full obituary is online.

Eric J. Wedell, MD, FACP

Former Governor Eric J. Wedell, MD, FACP, died on Oct. 29, 2016, at the age of 76.

Dr. Wedell privately practiced internal medicine and endocrinology for 32 years in Cheyenne, Wyo. He went on to serve as Governor of ACP's Wyoming Chapter from 2009 to 2012.

After retirement in 2006, Dr. Wedell spent time volunteering for both the Cheyenne Community Clinic and the Wyoming State Health Department. He also advocated for various health-oriented issues as a registered lobbyist with the Wyoming State Legislature.

Dr. Wedell graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1967, going on to complete 1 year of internship, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 1 year of fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Vermont, Burlington.

He completed his medical training after serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 to 1973, fulfilling his second year of endocrinology fellowship at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

A full obituary is online.

Harold M. Friedman, MD, MACP

Harold M. Friedman, MD, MACP, who governed ACP's New Hampshire chapter from 1990 to 1994, died on Feb. 28, 2016, at the age of 81.

For more than 38 years, Dr. Friedman treated patients at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. He led the department of allergy and immunology, working alongside his wife and fellow allergist, Frances M. Friedman, MD, FACP.

Dr. Friedman, who in 1995 received the ACP Laureate Award, also served as president of the New England Allergy Society and on the board of directors of the Hitchcock Clinic.

He taught medical students and residents at Dartmouth Medical School, where emergency room residents called him “Happy Hal the interns pal.” For 17 years, Dr. Friedman chaired the school's admissions committee, and he continued to work with the group long after his retirement.

He graduated from Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School before completing his internal medicine residency and a fellowship in allergy and immunology from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he met his wife.

A full obituary is online.

James V. Felicetta, MD, FACP

James V. Felicetta, MD, FACP, died on Dec. 23, 2015, at age 66.

Dr. Felicetta served as Governor of ACP's Arizona chapter from April 2013 until November 2014, when he resigned from his post because of a move to California.

The move also caused him to retire from his position as Chief of Medicine at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, which he held from 1987 through 2014. After retiring, he cared for patients for 8 more months at the VA satellite clinic in Oxnard, Calif., before retiring once more.

A research-oriented physician, Dr. Felicetta authored more than 150 scholarly publications and lectured both trainees and colleagues on endocrinology, his main area of expertise. From 2006 to 2015, he also served as Editor-in-Chief of Federal Practitioner.

Dr. Felicetta graduated in 1974 from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, where he received Alpha Omega Alpha honors in his third year. He spent his internship and residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City before returning to Seattle for 3 years of fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism. He had been a member of the College since 1980 and became a Fellow in 1984.

A full obituary is online.