PAUL F. GRINER

1933 - 2024

GRINER, Paul F. PAUL F. GRINER, M.D. PAUL GRINER was born on January 1, 1933, along with his identical twin, John. He died on June 24th. Paul graduated from Harvard College in 1954 and received his medical degree, with honor, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1959. He completed three years of training in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, then returned to the Rochester School of Medicine as Chief Resident and a Hematology Fellow. From 1961 to 1963, Griner served at Andrews Air Force Hospital in Washington D.C., receiving the Air Force Commendation Medal upon discharge. Paul remained at the University of Rochester for most of his career. He was promoted to Professor of Medicine and awarded the Samuel E. Durand Chair of medicine. Griner was involved in a number of treatment breakthroughs in medicine. In 1963, he introduced closed chest massage to the medical staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital and, in 1974, was the first to cure aplastic anemia in an adult with immunotherapy alone. This cure strengthened the theory that the cause of aplastic anemia is, in many cases, an autoimmune disorder. In 1984, Dr. Griner was appointed General Director and CEO of Strong Memorial Hospital, the principal teaching hospital of the University of Rochester. He held that position for 11 years, during which time he was appointed to various city, state and federal commissions and committees by the Mayor of New York City, the Governor of New York, the Director of the National Library of Medicine, and President and Mrs. William Clinton. Paul believed passionately that good patient care started with observation and information-gathering at patients' bedsides. He was fond of Sir William Osler's dictum that the good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease. Driven by that passionate belief, he was among the first physicians to study and report on the unnecessary use of costly medical facilities, tests and technology, the forerunner of today's evidence-based medicine. He was a pioneer in the application of decision theory to improve the quality of care and reduce its cost. Dr. Griner was active in medical education and health policy at both local and national levels. In 1981, he was the first recipient of the Mentor award at the University of Rochester. He was President and Chair of the board of the merican College of Physicians, and president of both the Society of General Internal Medicine and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. He was an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. During his career, Griner was a consultant, lecturer or Visiting Professor at over 60 academic medical centers, including Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is the author of 140 publications and two books and was a Life-trustee of the University of Rochester.  In 1956, Paul and Miriam Elizabeth Millard were married. They had two children, Laura and Paul, and were married for 49 years, until Mimi's death in 2005. In 2008, Dr. Griner married his brother John's widow, Margaret Griner, and they remained together until Margaret's death, a week before his own. He is survived by his children, Laura Hill (Paul) and Paul Griner (Anne); his stepchildren, John A. Griner, IV (Jocelyn), Kathryn Griner (Scott Rogers), and Gregg Griner (Maria); his grandchildren, Clara Hill (Chelsea Weaver), Kerry Griner (Sammy Luptowski), Trevor Griner, and Tristan Griner; his step-grandchildren, Jennifer Griner (John Butts), John A. Griner, V (fiancée Kristin Freiberg), Claire Moxley (Brandon), Grace Neider, Stephanie Gibson (Tyler), Emma Mehlman, Mark Griner, Kaitlin Griner, and Grace Griner; his great-grandchildren, Paul and Lucy; and his step-great-grandchildren, Taylor, Dannilynn, Joelle, Wesley, Dominic, and Lincoln. Paul Francis Griner's life was dedicated to medicine and family. His profound care for others meant he touched thousands of individuals over the course of his career: patients he served and treated; medical students and residents he taught; young physicians he mentored; and members of the medical organizations he joined and led. More recently, he spent as much of his time with family as possible, traveling, fishing, cooking and eating, telling stories, asking questions, and gifting many with his sometimes-ribald limericks. He will long be remembered and is already deeply missed.

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