Malcolm J. Hoffs

1937 - 2016

May 9, 1937 - February 15, 2016 Malcolm Hoffs, M.D., 78, of Santa Monica, died February 15. Mal was born in Brooklyn, NY on May 9, 1937, to Saul and Dorothy Hoffs. He attended Columbia University for three years and went on to Stanford Medical School. He married Ellen Bruchsaler in 1960, and was the best husband imaginable for the next 55 years. Mal did his internship at the VA Hospital and his psychiatric residency at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. He was drafted in 1966 and served for two years in the Air Force, in Topeka, Kansas. On his return he completed his studies to become a psychoanalyst and then went into private practice. He was an Associate Clinical Professor at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry; and senior faculty and Chair of the Institute Analysis Conference for ten years at the New Center for Psychoanalysis. He is remembered at these institutions as a skillful professional, a kind and loyal colleague, and a patient, insightful and generous mentor. Mal loved wine, jazz, art and his profession and was passionate in his pursuit of the things that inspired him. In his later years, he studied acting and found joy playing such characters as Estragon in "Waiting for Godot." Mal was cherished by his family and friends for his gracious and stealthy filling of wine glasses, his patient listening and wise advice, his wonderful sense of humor, and his ability to communicate to the people in his life that they were loved. Mal is survived by his wife Ellen, daughter Melissa, sons Michael and Jason, three grandchildren, and brother Josh.