David Aaron Goldstein, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, vice chair for Clinical Affairs, and former chief of the division of geriatric, hospital, palliative and general internal medicine (GHPGIM) at Keck Medicine of USC, died at his home on May 22. He was 71.
Goldstein served as vice chair of clinical affairs and director of primary care for Keck Medicine of USC, and as chair of the Clinical Practice Committee of the USC Care Medical Group 2008 to 2010. During his 26-year tenure as chief, Goldstein oversaw the division of internal medicine’s expansion to eventually include geriatrics, hospital medicine and palliative care and was instrumental in bringing hospital medicine and palliative care programs to Keck Medical Center and Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center (LAC+USC).
“Dr. Goldstein will always be remembered for his many years of dedicated service,” said Edward Crandall, PhD, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, who holds the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Chair in Medicine and the Hastings Foundation Professorship in Medicine at the Keck School. “We turned to him for help with our most difficult projects: managing people, developing strategic plans for growth, and serving the department’s tripartite mission of optimal teaching/training, outstanding research, and excellent clinical care. He took on all assignments with a sense of joy and commitment. He was always right there by my side, for which I will be forever grateful.”
“I will always remember David as a mentor and friend,” said Michael Karp, MD, chief of the division of geriatric, hospital, palliative and general internal medicine at Keck Medicine. “He not only taught me how to be a better physician, but also how to be a leader, teacher, and friend. He was the most important influence on my professional career and I will miss his counsel and wisdom deeply.”
Goldstein was a thought leader in medical ethics, and served as co-director of the Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics, as coordinator of the HEAL (Humanities, Economics and Law) curriculum for the Keck School and as co-chair of the Bioethics Committee of Keck Medical Center. He also sat on several ethics, quality and review committees at Keck Medical Center and LAC+USC.
He was also considered an expert in medical education, having served the Keck School as director of undergraduate medical education (1982-1986), as chair of the medical education and curriculum committee (1982 to 1989), and associate dean for curriculum (1984 to 1989).
With support from Norbert Gehr, a grateful patient, Goldstein recently established the USC Gehr Family Center for Implementation Science, designed to support innovation in health care research. Goldstein also held the Flores Family Chair in Health Services Research, established to support treatment, education and health services research in his division.
In addition to his demanding schedule of clinical and administrative duties, Goldstein authored two novels, The Physician’s Tale and The Lonely Tiger. He is survived by his wife Brooke, son Dylan, and daughter Zoe.