The OAFP Foundation (Foundation) would like to acknowledge and thank the family of Earl R. Berger, MD, for their generous gift which will provide 20 first-year medical students from Case Western University School of Medicine and the Northeast Ohio Medical University the opportunity to participate in the 2021 Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program.
This contribution was made in memory of Dr. Berger, a family physician who served the community of Cleveland, OH, for over 50 years. He was a member of the Academy from 1961-89.
Following is more information about Dr. Berger as well as remarks from his daughter, Jeanne Glazer.
Born in 1906 as a middle child of three, Dr. Berger’s immigrant parents believed that education was paramount. After receiving his Pharmaceutical Chemist and Pharmacy degrees from The Ohio State University, Dr. Berger went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine from the Chicago Medical School in 1938 and thereafter practiced family medicine in Chicago.
Upon the United States entering WWII in 1941, so did Dr. Berger by serving four years as a Captain in the Army Air Corps (Eighth Air Force) as a surgeon in the European Theatre of Operations. Thereafter, he continued practicing family medicine in Chicago with associations at the Cook County Hospital and the Illinois Masonic Hospital.
Later, Dr. Berger married Sonja Andruska and started a family in Chicago before moving back to Ohio where he served the community of Cleveland for more than 50 years until his death in 1989.
“In a world of super specialized medicine, family physicians stand apart as a respected, revered breed. In a pandemic world, family physicians have been the lifeblood of communities and the backbone of medicine. Bright minds, dedication, and compassion are required to heal whole communities of which family medicine plays a pivotal role.
“Our memorial gift to the Foundation was inspired by my own gifted family physician—my father. Growing up in Cleveland, my brother David and I had front row seats to the delivery of quality medical care. We witnessed after hours phone calls that led to lightning quick diagnosis and immediate prescription service. And, we tagged along on house calls that were indifferent to racial lines and financial status. For my father, access and the ability to deliver care was paramount. Helping patients was its own reward and his contribution to humanity.
“Over the years, the images, acts of caring, and gratitude of these patients has never been lost. The bond between doctor and patient is as vivid as ever, and remains today, as valid as ever.”
In total, 71 first-year medical students, representing all seven Ohio medical schools, will participate in the preceptorship program this summer gaining a firsthand view of the breadth of family medicine. The Foundation would not be able to provide this type of critical family medicine exposure so early in one’s medical school career without individuals like the Berger family. We truly cannot express our gratitude enough!
If you would like to join the Berger family by investing in the future of the family medicine specialty, give a gift today!