In Memory of Robert Friedman, MD

My father was a loyal and committed member of the NYU Langone Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and had asked that any gifts from friends or colleagues be sent in support of the department. Below is the letter that department chair, Dr. Seth Orlow, sent today to the faculty and my father's dermatology colleagues:

Dear Faculty and Alumni:

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of our colleague, Bob Friedman MD, MSc in Florida at age 73 after a prolonged illness.

Bob received his BA from Adelphi University and earned an MD at McGill University in Montreal. He then trained at NYU in Anatomic Pathology, Dermatopathology and Dermatology. In the 1980s as Melanoma Fellows with Al Kopf, Bob and Darrell Rigel worked with Al to develop the ‘ABCDs of Melanoma’, leading to a landmark publication in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Twenty years later in 2005, with the addition of David Polsky, they updated the mnemonic to the ‘ABCDEs of Melanoma.’

Bob was a member of our voluntary faculty for 35 years. For many years, he ran our multidisciplinary skin tumor conference under the auspices of our Pigmented Lesion Section.

In association with and in addition to his clinical activities as an expert practitioner of dermatology and dermatopathology, Bob was a founder and physician leader of Dermpath Inc. and was involved in many other entrepreneurial endeavors. 

Our condolences go out to his wife Nancy, their sons, grandchildren and the rest of their family. He will be missed by his family, his colleagues and the generations of patients who benefited from his care.