BERNARD POLLARA

POLLARA--Bernard, MD,

PHD, died peacefully in his sleep after succumbing to bladder cancer on May 10, 2015 at his home in Tampa, FL with his devoted wife, Jeannette, and youngest daughter, Julia (who he delivered at birth) at his side. He was 87. Bernard Pollara was born on July 28, 1927 in Chicago, IL to Sicilian immigrants Giuseppe and Dominica Pollara. He served as a Hospital Corpman in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. Under the G.I. Bill, he earned a BS in Chemistry from Northwestern University (1951) and an MS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois (1954). He went on to receive an MD (1960) and a PhD in Biochemistry (1963) from the University of Minnesota, where he did his Pediatric Residency and Immunology Fellowship. In 1969, he moved with his family to Albany, NY to head up the New York State Health Department's Kidney Disease Institute while also teaching pediatrics at Albany Medical College. In 1979, he became Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Albany Med, where he remained until 1994. He moved to Tampa, FL to become the John E. and Aliese Price Professor of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine where he served as Division Chief, Medical Director, and Interim Chair, retiring reluctantly in 2010 when his health began to fail. Dr. Pollara had extensive expertise in immunology, having trained with the world-renowned Dr. Robert A. Good at the University of Minnesota. He led USF Pediatrics' clinical research initiatives and headed dozens of studies related to the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines. Dr. Pollara was very dedicated to the training of medical students and residents and to faculty development, and was awarded federal grants that supported his initiatives in these areas. Among his many distinctions, he was awarded the Academic Laureate while at Albany Medical College. This year, USF honored Dr. Pollara with the establishment of the annual Bernard Pollara Resident Lectureship. He founded the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center and was dedicated to the care of children, particularly those in underserved communities. As an officer in the US Public Health Service Reserve, he worked as a visiting physician for the Navajo Indian Health Service in New Mexico and Arizona, the Migrant Farm Workers Clinic in Washington State, and the Black Feet Community Hospital in Montana. In 1992/1993, he spent a sabbatical in Bethel, Alaska as a staff pediatrician at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Health Corporation venturing out into remote areas to attend to the first nation peoples, many of whom had never seen a doctor of western medicine. He was a gourmet chef who loved traveling the world, fly-fishing, betting on football games, and eating pie. He loved spending time with his family and was thrilled to see his grandchildren thrive. He will be dearly missed. Dr. Pollara is survived by his wife Jeannette Fleischer, his five children and six grandchildren: Dominique (Kurt Rosen), Sacramento, CA; Lia Friel (Jack) daughters Shelby and Christina, Weston, MA; Gina son Bernard, NYC; Julia Riggin (Ray) son Rayce, Wheatridge, CO; and Joseph (Gwen) son Luca, daughter Maya; as well as his sister Anna Schmidt, Chicago, IL; and his first wife, Joanne Pollara, Albany, NY. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 11am at Christ the King Church (821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida). He will be interred at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Bernard Pollara, M.D, PhD Resident Lectureship at University of South Florida Department of Pediatrics. Visit the guestbook at BlountCurryMacDill.com Blount & Curry MacDill 813-876-2421