A celebration of life will be Nov. 9 in Portland, Oregon, for John Benson Jr., MD, a professor of internal medicine and assistant dean of the UNMC College of Medicine from 2003 to 2011.
Dr. Benson died Sept. 16 at age 104. Condolences and memories can be sent to his wife, Virginia “Ginny” Tilden, PhD, at 2172 SW Park Place, Unit A, Portland, OR 97205.
“Dr. Benson’s impact on medicine is immense, and UNMC was so fortunate to have him here to guide our efforts in health-care reform and other initiatives in the early 2000s,” said Bob Bartee, who served as vice chancellor for external relations during Dr. Benson’s tenure at UNMC. “Not only was Dr. Benson an excellent academic physician, he was truly a gracious and wise person who uplifted all of those who were fortunate enough to cross his path.”
Dr. Benson’s tenure at UNMC began in 2003, when his wife, Dr. Tilden, was recruited as dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. He led UNMC’s 10-year reaccreditation efforts in 2006, launched the popular “Music as Medicine” series, anchored the medical center’s health care reform initiative, contributed to teaching and curriculum development, and was a magnet on numerous search committees for recruiting talent to UNMC.
A 2011 UNMC Today article that profiled Dr. Benson said the couple’s recruitment “may have been the greatest two-for-one deal in UNMC history.”
A graduate of Wesleyan University and Harvard Medical School, he completed residency and fellowship at the Brigham and Massachusetts General Hospitals and the Mayo Clinic. A seven-decade career in academic medicine and health care began in 1959, when he joined the faculty of the School of Medicine at the University of Oregon Medical School (later renamed OHSU) and became the first full-time head of its division of gastroenterology.
In 1975, he was appointed the first president of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and president-emeritus in 1991. His emphasis on setting standards in graduate medical education strengthened the medical profession, enhanced the humanistic qualities of physicians, improved the competency certification process through continued research and led the establishment of gerontology as a recognized subspecialty. After ABIM, Dr. Benson served as interim dean of the OHSU School of Medicine from 1991-93 and then as dean emeritus and senior scholar in the OHSU Center for Ethics in Healthcare.
Among his appointments and awards, Dr. Benson was president of the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was a Master of the American College of Physicians and received ACP’s John Phillips Memorial Award in 2000 and Oregon’s ACP Chapter Laureate Award in 2002. Also at ACP, he co-shared the Abraham Flexner Award in 2010. The Oregon Laureate Award called him one of those rare individuals who have the unique capacity to motivate others to their best potential. In a similar spirit, in 2000, the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon honored him with the Mentor Award.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Ginny); six children; and seven grandchildren.
Dr. John Benson was one the most instructive experts on leadership–not because of what he read in a book, a didactic encounter, or his navigation of power and politics. Rather, his complete way of being was inclusive and he mastered the art of listening to every voice before he spoke. The best (and hardest) lessons on leadership I learned from watching his wisdom in action(s) every day.
A true gentleman and a scholar – that was John Benson. What a career! What an amazing man! He left an indelible mark on UNMC. His kindness was palpable. My condolences to Ginny and the family on the loss of this incredible man. He was one-of-a-kind.
A true Renaissance Man, unfailingly attentive and welcoming, enormously talented, generous in all respects. We were privileged to have John and Ginny in our midst.
John Benson and I interacted both at Oregon where I was an intern and at UNMC where we both staff members. He was a true gentleman and scholar. It was a privilege to have known him over the years.