Dr. Jorge Pereira-Ogan

Dr. Jorge Pereira-Ogan

AGE: 81 •

"In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." Lincoln. Dr. Jorge Arturo Pereira-Ogan departed this life unexpectedly Sunday August 16, 2015. He lived his 81 years on earth with great vigor and brilliance, that expanded into the community at large. This intensity was most often directed towards his desire to help those from all of walks of life who suffered from mental health issues. Jorge was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 7, 1934 to Mara and Modesto. In 1962 he graduated from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine and practiced Pediatrics. He had a strong desire to live in America and in 1967 began an internship at Philadelphia General Hospital. During this time he discovered his true calling: to help those with mental illnesses. While completing his residency at Hahnemann Medical College he entered the U.S. Army in 1969. He was the first Honored Graduate from the U.S. Army Medical School from a non-English speaking country and was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel. In addition to practicing medicine, Jorge taught at Thomas Jefferson University Medical College as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, co-founded the Department of Psychiatry at Christiana Hospital, and served as a consultant and lecturer to numerous pharmaceutical companies. Throughout this time he served on the Board of Medical Practice and on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. During his long and distinguished medical career Jorge worked tirelessly to remove the stigmas attached to mental illness and to reform mental health care in the state of Delaware. He was the recipient of both the Distinguished Service Award of the Medical Society of Delaware, as well as the Presidential Award. Jorge was appointed by Governors Castle and Carper to serve as a member of the Advisory Council to the Division of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Mental Health while serving as Chair on various committees and councils including: the Public Laws Committee of the State Medical Society, the Governor's Advisory Council State Legislative Committee, the Legislative Action Committee of the State Medical Society, the Psychiatric Society of Delaware and as President of the Psychiatric Society of Delaware. The years he dedicated to the practice of medicine have left Jorge with innumerable patients who were devoted to him. But most of all, his passing has left an irreplaceable void amongst his family, colleagues and friends.

Dr. Pereira-Ogan is survived by his wife, Leatrice Albera, sons George Pereira-Ogan (Ann), Michael Pereira-Ogan (Anne Marie), along with his grandchildren Jane, Luke, Allison, Michael, and Nicholas; and, stepdaughters Jennifer Canter (Mark) and Meredith Baker-Berube (Pierre) and their children Samuel and Madeleine.

Family and friends are invited to pay their respects at Arcaro Funeral Home, 2309 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19805 on Saturday August 22 between the hours of 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, where a brief service will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his honor to either the National Alliance for Mental Health in Delaware, 2400 W. 4th Street, Wilmington, DE 19805 (www.namide.org) or the Mental Health Association in Delaware, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 600, Wilmington, DE 19801-6604 (www.mhainde.org). arcarofuneralhome.com (302)658-9095