JOSEPH M. HEYMAN M.D.

1942 - 2022

HEYMAN, Joseph M. MD Joseph M. Heyman, MD Beloved Husband, Father, and Grandfather Physician, Health Care Leader, and Patient Advocate Dr. Joseph M. Heyman, MD died at home in West Newbury, MA, on February 12, 2022, a few weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Joe was born on May 21, 1942, in New York City and raised in a home that modeled the importance of social justice, political activism, and cultural enrichment. He graduated from City College of New York and received his medical degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. He served three years in the U.S. Public Health Service, two of which were spent on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. Then he completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, MD. During these years of service and training, he married and had two children, creating a family that became a lifetime source of love, joy, and mutual support. In 1973, the family moved to Massachusetts where Joe practiced medicine for 41 years, first with Women's Health Care in Newburyport, and later in a solo practice in Amesbury. At Anna Jaques Hospital he served terms on the Board of Trustees and as President of the medical staff. He also founded the Whittier IPA, a non-profit organization of physicians in the Merrimack Valley. His interest in medical ethics and in providing high-quality medical care to everyone led to many leadership roles in organized medicine, including President of the Massachusetts Medical Society, Chair of the Board of Trustees at The American Medical Association, and Chair of the Associate Members in the World Medical Association. He worked passionately in all these organizations to develop policy and implement action on issues of patient rights, expanded access to quality health care, and increased racial and ethnic diversity in medical institutions and organizations. He mentored many young physicians who will now sustain this important work. His lifelong fascination for science and technology made him an enthusiastic supporter and early adopter of many new technologies both in medicine and beyond. In addition, Joe was passionate about space exploration, art, and music, especially jazz. He relished sharing all these enthusiasms with others. He will be remembered for his delight in irony, his gift for storytelling, and his skill in bringing people together to identify and resolve problems. In his retirement, Joe became active with the West Newbury Democratic Town Committee and served on the Town Financial Committee, as well as continuing his work with the local, national, and international medical societies. Survivors in his immediate family include his wife, Laurie Heyman of West Newbury, MA; his daughter, Eve Heyman Tuminaro with her husband Dave and their children, Sierra and MacKenzie, of Oak Bluffs, MA; his son, Todd Heyman with his wife, Suzy, and their children Autumn and Meadow, of Hartland, VT; his two nieces, Zeka Glucs and her husband Dave, and Caroline Kuspa all of Santa Cruz, CA. He touched the lives of so many family members, friends, colleagues, and patients. He left this world a better place and will always live in our hearts. Visiting Hours: Given the pandemic precautions, no public gathering is planned. Donations in his memory can be contributed to the Joseph M. Heyman, MD Scholarship Fund at the American Medical Association Foundation in Chicago, IL. (https://amafoundation.org/heyman/)

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