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By now, most of you know that the CHEST family lost one of our dearest members and leaders in early July, Past President Mark Rosen. This loss has been felt deeply by many, not only because he was taken so suddenly, but because of who Mark was and what he meant to us. We did not get the chance to say goodbye. We shared Mark’s official obituary last month in CHEST Physician. This month, we thought it important to share something more personal.
When I think of Mark, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. So many qualities come to mind: generous, kind, honest, brilliant, and funny. Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on our educational programs, including the annual meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in assisting our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country.
When I think of my own journey with Mark, I think back to the first time I saw him. I was a senior fellow taking the Pulmonary Board Review course in Chicago. I don’t remember much from that course – except for Mark’s presentations. They included everything you needed to know, in a very logical outline. More importantly, he had a presence on stage that was larger than life. He made you laugh throughout the entire talk! Mark’s humor was self-deprecating, and he made you feel like you had been best friends forever---even if he’d never met you. From that first encounter, he became a giant in chest medicine to me. It wasn’t too many years later that, as a junior volunteer leader in the organization, I was able to finally meet Mark. He could not have been more welcoming or humble, and he instantly took on the role of mentor. I was so lucky; not only did that mentorship grow, but so did our friendship. I quickly got to the point that I looked forward to the times I would travel for CHEST events, because I knew I would see Mark. I did establish one rule, however, when we started teaching together. I refused to follow Mark in the agenda, as there was no way I could ever live up to his presentation style and humor. I didn’t want to be a let down to the crowd!
Much of what I and others have accomplished with CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent. He introduced me to so many additional friends and mentors. And, Mark did this for hundreds of trainees and junior faculty throughout his career. If I were to guess, I would say that this is the thing that made him most proud. Yes, he was an established international expert in several areas of pulmonary medicine; he held several prominent positions in academic medicine and at CHEST. But, what made him most happy was seeing his trainees and mentees succeed – you would have thought we were one of his kids (whom he was also very proud of and loved dearly). Mark was THE example of an outstanding mentor.
The memory I will carry forever of Mark, however, is when he got on stage and was the Master of Ceremonies for the CHEST Challenge Championship. He was in his element as an educator, interacting with the next generation of chest medicine physicians. He spent the entire time making the contestants, and the audience, laugh. People came to the final round to see Mark, even if they had no dog in the fight. I will always fondly recall that way he would look over at me and the other judges if he wasn’t sure about a team’s answer and then have an immediate witty comeback. Many of my CHEST friends have said that Mark was the Jerry Seinfeld of CHEST. I’ve never watched a single episode of Seinfeld, but if this description is true, I plan to!
Mark kept his sense of humor until the very end, telling me in his final days that he chose to focus on “humor markers,” rather than “tumor markers” – he said that always worked out better for him! Mark, we all miss you friend. We can’t wait to share a Chopin Martini with a twist of lemon when we see you on the other side. Thank you for all you did for your family, your patients, your trainees, your colleagues, and CHEST.
By now, most of you know that the CHEST family lost one of our dearest members and leaders in early July, Past President Mark Rosen. This loss has been felt deeply by many, not only because he was taken so suddenly, but because of who Mark was and what he meant to us. We did not get the chance to say goodbye. We shared Mark’s official obituary last month in CHEST Physician. This month, we thought it important to share something more personal.
When I think of Mark, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. So many qualities come to mind: generous, kind, honest, brilliant, and funny. Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on our educational programs, including the annual meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in assisting our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country.
When I think of my own journey with Mark, I think back to the first time I saw him. I was a senior fellow taking the Pulmonary Board Review course in Chicago. I don’t remember much from that course – except for Mark’s presentations. They included everything you needed to know, in a very logical outline. More importantly, he had a presence on stage that was larger than life. He made you laugh throughout the entire talk! Mark’s humor was self-deprecating, and he made you feel like you had been best friends forever---even if he’d never met you. From that first encounter, he became a giant in chest medicine to me. It wasn’t too many years later that, as a junior volunteer leader in the organization, I was able to finally meet Mark. He could not have been more welcoming or humble, and he instantly took on the role of mentor. I was so lucky; not only did that mentorship grow, but so did our friendship. I quickly got to the point that I looked forward to the times I would travel for CHEST events, because I knew I would see Mark. I did establish one rule, however, when we started teaching together. I refused to follow Mark in the agenda, as there was no way I could ever live up to his presentation style and humor. I didn’t want to be a let down to the crowd!
Much of what I and others have accomplished with CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent. He introduced me to so many additional friends and mentors. And, Mark did this for hundreds of trainees and junior faculty throughout his career. If I were to guess, I would say that this is the thing that made him most proud. Yes, he was an established international expert in several areas of pulmonary medicine; he held several prominent positions in academic medicine and at CHEST. But, what made him most happy was seeing his trainees and mentees succeed – you would have thought we were one of his kids (whom he was also very proud of and loved dearly). Mark was THE example of an outstanding mentor.
The memory I will carry forever of Mark, however, is when he got on stage and was the Master of Ceremonies for the CHEST Challenge Championship. He was in his element as an educator, interacting with the next generation of chest medicine physicians. He spent the entire time making the contestants, and the audience, laugh. People came to the final round to see Mark, even if they had no dog in the fight. I will always fondly recall that way he would look over at me and the other judges if he wasn’t sure about a team’s answer and then have an immediate witty comeback. Many of my CHEST friends have said that Mark was the Jerry Seinfeld of CHEST. I’ve never watched a single episode of Seinfeld, but if this description is true, I plan to!
Mark kept his sense of humor until the very end, telling me in his final days that he chose to focus on “humor markers,” rather than “tumor markers” – he said that always worked out better for him! Mark, we all miss you friend. We can’t wait to share a Chopin Martini with a twist of lemon when we see you on the other side. Thank you for all you did for your family, your patients, your trainees, your colleagues, and CHEST.
By now, most of you know that the CHEST family lost one of our dearest members and leaders in early July, Past President Mark Rosen. This loss has been felt deeply by many, not only because he was taken so suddenly, but because of who Mark was and what he meant to us. We did not get the chance to say goodbye. We shared Mark’s official obituary last month in CHEST Physician. This month, we thought it important to share something more personal.
When I think of Mark, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. So many qualities come to mind: generous, kind, honest, brilliant, and funny. Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on our educational programs, including the annual meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in assisting our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country.
When I think of my own journey with Mark, I think back to the first time I saw him. I was a senior fellow taking the Pulmonary Board Review course in Chicago. I don’t remember much from that course – except for Mark’s presentations. They included everything you needed to know, in a very logical outline. More importantly, he had a presence on stage that was larger than life. He made you laugh throughout the entire talk! Mark’s humor was self-deprecating, and he made you feel like you had been best friends forever---even if he’d never met you. From that first encounter, he became a giant in chest medicine to me. It wasn’t too many years later that, as a junior volunteer leader in the organization, I was able to finally meet Mark. He could not have been more welcoming or humble, and he instantly took on the role of mentor. I was so lucky; not only did that mentorship grow, but so did our friendship. I quickly got to the point that I looked forward to the times I would travel for CHEST events, because I knew I would see Mark. I did establish one rule, however, when we started teaching together. I refused to follow Mark in the agenda, as there was no way I could ever live up to his presentation style and humor. I didn’t want to be a let down to the crowd!
Much of what I and others have accomplished with CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent. He introduced me to so many additional friends and mentors. And, Mark did this for hundreds of trainees and junior faculty throughout his career. If I were to guess, I would say that this is the thing that made him most proud. Yes, he was an established international expert in several areas of pulmonary medicine; he held several prominent positions in academic medicine and at CHEST. But, what made him most happy was seeing his trainees and mentees succeed – you would have thought we were one of his kids (whom he was also very proud of and loved dearly). Mark was THE example of an outstanding mentor.
The memory I will carry forever of Mark, however, is when he got on stage and was the Master of Ceremonies for the CHEST Challenge Championship. He was in his element as an educator, interacting with the next generation of chest medicine physicians. He spent the entire time making the contestants, and the audience, laugh. People came to the final round to see Mark, even if they had no dog in the fight. I will always fondly recall that way he would look over at me and the other judges if he wasn’t sure about a team’s answer and then have an immediate witty comeback. Many of my CHEST friends have said that Mark was the Jerry Seinfeld of CHEST. I’ve never watched a single episode of Seinfeld, but if this description is true, I plan to!
Mark kept his sense of humor until the very end, telling me in his final days that he chose to focus on “humor markers,” rather than “tumor markers” – he said that always worked out better for him! Mark, we all miss you friend. We can’t wait to share a Chopin Martini with a twist of lemon when we see you on the other side. Thank you for all you did for your family, your patients, your trainees, your colleagues, and CHEST.