Herbert Aaron Saltzman

1928 - 2018

Herbert Aaron Saltzman

Durham

Dr. Herbert Aaron Saltzman passed away June 27, 2018 after an extended illness. He was born November 27, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from Friends Select School in 1946, Ursinus College in 1948 and Jefferson Medical College in 1952. He was the first Chief Medical Resident in the United State Air Force and obtained the rank of major. On August 15, 1954, he married Charlotte Wolf Saltzman whom he had known since they were teens and celebrated 63 years of marriage.

Dr. Saltzman spent most of his career at Duke University Medical Center and was the founding father of the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine. He was first a scientist, elected to the ASCI in 1971, and later a consummate clinician, leading the NIH PIOPED study on pulmonary embolism diagnosis from 1983 to 1987. He retired from Duke in 2000 at age 70 after more than 40 years of service. He then joined the Danville Pulmonary Clinic where he worked closely with his former student and close friend, Thomas O'Neill.

One of his former students, Dr. Mary Klotman, Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, remembered, "As a student and resident here I had the wonderful experience of learning from Dr. Saltzman; not only evidence based pulmonary medicine but the art of patient care. He was an inspirational role model."

He is survived by his wife Charlotte, daughters Ann Wilbur and Patty Smith, his son Steve Saltzman, and six grandchildren, Lauren Brown, Brooke Brown, Ethan Smith, Erin Wirtanen, Kelly Sheffer and Katherine Wilbur, and two great grandchildren, Luke and Rex Wirtanen.

A memorial service will be held July 14, 2018 at 3:30 pm in the Auditorium at the Forest at Duke Retirement Community (2701 Pickett Rd, Durham, NC 27705). A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to be made to the Habitat for Humanity of Durham (http://www.durhamhabitat.org/donate).