Remembering Dr. Richard Deckelbaum
Richard Deckelbaum, MD, the Robert R. Williams Professor of Nutrition, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, died suddenly on October 2.
Dr. Deckelbaum was recruited to Columbia in 1986 by former chair of the Department of Pediatrics Michael Katz, MD, and he went on to lead both the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology (1986-2003) and the Institute of Human Nutrition (IHN) (1992-2020), and to found and co-direct the Children's Cardiovascular Health Center (1987-2000). His decades of work at Columbia include a long history of successful research studying lipid disorders as well as a dedication to global health. His incredible academic productivity led to hundreds of publications, continuous grant funding, and an international reputation.
Dr. Deckelbaum believed in promoting health care for all and spent his career traveling the world as an advocate for communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. He believed that it was the practitioner’s role to “work around politics” to promote health. His talent as both a basic researcher and an advocate for global health was a rare combination that inspired his colleagues and will continue to inspire all those who had the privilege to know him.
“Richard’s work led to the implementation of innovative strategies to combat hunger and malnutrition,” Sabrina Diano, PhD, current director of the IHN, says, “and his legacy will endure through the many programs and policies that he helped create. He established the first pediatric hospital in the West Bank and the Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. He was especially proud of his work in Africa, beginning with his work as a flying doctor in Zambia.” This profile of Dr. Deckelbaum in The Lancet in 2008 lists many of his accomplishments.
“Many of us had the good fortune to know Richard very well and can call him a mentor, sponsor, and friend,” says Ali Mencin, MD, current director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition, and Hepatology. “In his long and impactful career, Richard taught and mentored scores of students, fellows, and faculty members who will remember him as brilliant, empathetic, thoughtful, kind, and fun. Richard was a serious scientist, but he always brought with him that contagious joy that emanates from a person who thoroughly loves what he does, every day. We will miss him for that joy and that wonderful disarming smile that never seemed to leave him.”
Department of Pediatrics chair Jordan Orange, MD, PhD, adds, “Richard quite simply exemplified a model academic physician, excelling in research, mentorship, and leadership and finding joy in it all. After over 30 years of service at this institution, his impact on the Division of Gastroenterology, the Institute of Human Nutrition, as well as Columbia University, will always be remembered.”