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A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Friedlander came to UNMC in 1966 when he established the department of neurology. He served as professor and chairman of the department until 1973.
In 1980, he started the department of medical jurisprudence and humanities, the first such department to be organized in an existing college of medicine. He also served as chief of neurology for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Omaha from 1966 until his retirement in 1990.
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Walt Friedlander, M.D. |
“He had a deep commitment to training medical professionals. He was a modern day pioneer in the medical specialty of neurology and in the education of medical students. He established the first combined residency program between UNMC and Creighton University Medical School and taught numerous classes at UNMC and Creighton for many years.”
A true scholar, Dr. Friedlander wrote and published nearly 80 articles on neurology, the history of medicine, and medicine in literature. In addition, he wrote three books on medical history and ethics, including “The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine” in 1992.
He brought international attention to UNMC by establishing the Clinical Neurology Information Center in 1972. The center’s publications were distributed worldwide.
He received numerous awards and recognitions for his work. In 1994, he received the Jack G. Elliott Award, which is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to medicine both within Nebraska and at the medical center.
“Dad was committed to helping medical students and health professionals develop a deeper respect for their patients and gain a broader understanding of medicine through ethics, history and the humanities,” Wuerst said. “His enduring guidance to his family was to find ways to give back to the communities where they lived through service or support. He led by example.”
Dr. Friedlander received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1941 and his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 1945. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco in 1947 and a residency in psychiatry and neurology at Cushing VA Hospital, Framingham, Mass., before returning to the Bay Area as staff neurologist at the VA Hospital in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army in 1951-52 as chief of neurology for the Third Army at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Following his military service, he led the development of neurology services at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., in 1952-53. He then served as chief of neurology at the VA Hospital in San Francisco from 1953 to 1956. His next stop was as chief of Harvard University’s National Veterans Epilepsy Center in Boston from 1956 to 1961. Following this, he served as professor of neurology and director of the electroencephalography (EEG) center, Albany (N.Y.) Medical College of Union University, from 1961 to 1966.
Dr. Friedlander’s death is the third in the past six months of individuals who played key roles in moving UNMC forward as an academic medical center. F. Miles Skultety, M.D., Ph.D., who was instrumental in the development of neurosurgery as a practice and a field of study in the College of Medicine, died Nov. 3 at the age of 86. Robert Grissom, M.D., the first full-time chairman of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, died March 17 at the age of 92.
Dr. Friedlander is pre-deceased by his parents, Jack and Gussie; his brother Herbert; his first wife, Florence; his eldest son, John, and his second wife, Alice, who was co-founder of the University Hospital Auxiliary. Alice Friedlander died 18 months ago.
He is survived by his children, Ron (Linda) Van Oeveren, Omaha; Jessie (Steve) Wuerst, Spokane, Wash.; Bert (Bobbie) Van Oeveren, LaVista, Neb.; Joe (Janelle) Friedlander, Hazen, N.D.; and Jeff (Lyn) Van Oeveren, Olathe, Kan.; 17 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
The family suggests memorials to two funds established at the University of Nebraska Foundation — the Walter J. Friedlander, M.D. Memorial Fund and the John Friedlander Memorial Fund.
What others are saying
“Dr. Friedlander was the founder of our department. He started the work between UNMC and the VA Medical Center, and he started the first joint department with Creighton University as well as the joint residency program. He eventually moved on to write the history of neurology at UNMC and worked on the history of epilepsy with Dr. (Sanjay) Singh. He deserves credit for starting neurology as a specialty in Nebraska and making it an area of interest for other people to recognize. Before this, there were no neurologists in Nebraska. They were called neuropsychologists. He was so kind. He and his wife, Alice, were the first people to invite me to their home for dinner when I first arrived. He was so gracious about giving out compliments about how the department had grown. He kept an office in our department and came in every day no matter how cold or snowy it was. He had a thirst for knowledge and would come to neurology grand rounds at 7 in the morning. Teaching and learning were his loves.” Pierre Fayad, M.D., Reynolds Centennial Professor and chairman of the department of neurological sciences
“Glenn Fosdick (president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center) and I worked for his son, John, at Buffalo General Hospital in New York. Our paths crossed again when Glenn and I came to Omaha. His wife, Alice, died about a year and a half ago, and since then, every month, Walter and I would go to dinner at a different place. We had a great time. He was a great friend and human being. He had an amazing wit. He had a hearing deficit. I always thought he heard what he wanted to hear. He loved his life. He was very inquisitive. He was always very curious about the hospital and very dedicated to the library. He truly loved Alice. They were really a good couple.” Bud Tice, Administrator for physician relations, The Nebraska Medical Center
“Walt was a dear friend and mentor. He was someone who I could always turn to for sagacious advice and words of wisdom. He not only started neurology as a medical specialty in Nebraska but had a special interest in epilepsy. He came to all our epilepsy conferences. His presence was of immense benefit to me and my residents as we gained from his vast experience in neurology. We will all miss this pioneering stalwart and I will miss an adviser and a dear friend.” Sanjay Singh, M.D., associate professor of neurology and director of the Nebraska Epilepsy Center
“In an institution where scholarship is the norm, Walter Friedlander was a scholar among scholars. His knowledge of the literature of neurology and the history of medicine was unsurpassed. For many years he was director of a federally funded neurology information center located in the library. In later years, he also was the primary user of our rare and historical collections, mining them for manuscripts in progress and sharing insights about the unexpected and exciting things he found in our collection. Dr. Friedlander was one of the few people we trusted with rare book room keys. We knew he would do as much as any library staff member to protect the volumes from theft or damage. Walt didn’t hesitate to chide me — gently, of course — when environmental conditions in the room were slipping and was the first to applaud and encourage the improvements that have been made over the past several years.” Nancy Woelfl, Ph.D., director, McGoogan Library of Medicine
“He was one of my mentors when I was a resident. He was real gentleman and an excellent teacher. I will terribly miss him.” Agapito Lorenzo, M.D., former clinical associate professor in neurology who retired in 2007 and now serves on the volunteer faculty
“Dr. Friedlander was a beloved teacher, mentor and friend. He loved medical history and he shared that scholarly passion with me and many others. He thought physicians especially should study medical history because of its importance for understanding the situation of medicine today. His keen intellect and sense of inquiry were fully engaged in our most recent conversation over dinner, and he continued his historical research and writing until just a few weeks ago.” Virginia Aita, Ph.D., medical ethicist and associate professor, College of Public Health
“Walt was a very caring individual who had a brilliant mind and a wonderful wit.” John Aita, M.D., Omaha neurologist and husband of Dr. Virginia Aita