Samuel O. Sapin M.D.

1924 - 2021

September 6, 1924 - January 10, 2021 Dr. Sapin died in Sherman Oaks, CA at age 96 years. Sam Sapin was born in New York City in 1924, the son of a Polish immigrant who became a garment business owner. He met Jean Goldfarb as a fellow summer camp counselor and they married in 1944, a happy marriage which lasted 75 years until Jean's death January 8, 2020. He was accepted into the US Navy's V12 program in 1942, completed pre-med education at Columbia University, and medical school at New York University. He obtained additional years of advanced training in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at Bellvue and Mt. Sinai hospitals and joined a private practice in New York City.In 1955 he and Jean and their 2 young children moved to the San Fernando Valley where he began working with the then small Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. He spent 45 years with SCPMG and retired fully in 2000. He was instrumental in the growth of SCPMG into a huge and highly successful health care system. A sampling of his roles in the organization includes starting the Nurse Practitioner Program, Chief of Pediatrics, Regional Director of Education and Research, Associate Director of Clinical Services and 2 terms on the SCPMG Board of Directors. He joined the Clinical Faculty of the UCLA Medical Center in 1956 and retired from that position in 2000 as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. He loved his role as a teacher of young physicians and was committed to medical research and education. He was primary author or coauthor on 40 peer-reviewed medical publications from 1949-2005. He was a member of numerous regional and national professional organizations, and served terms as President of the California Society of Pediatric Cardiology and the Los Angeles Pediatric Society. He was a passionate advocate for the Kaiser Permanente model of health care when invited to address regional and national meetings related to health care delivery models and health care quality. Throughout his career he continued to see patients and was recognized for his skilled and compassionate care. Some who were babies and children when under his care continued to call him for medical advice even as middle age adults. He was warm, generous, and gregarious with a fine sense of humor. He loved meeting new people; "everybody has a story to tell" was his mantra. With patients spanning infancy to young adulthood, he related easily to people of all ages and maintained friendships over decades. He and Jean were active in the American Art Council; Sam loved music of all genres, opera, international travel, and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada. He is survived by a younger sister, two children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.