Sean Patrick Elliott

"I will learn to live in the sunshine of your life instead of the dark shadow of your death."

Dr. Sean P. Elliott, age 56, died suddenly at home on Sunday, May 19, 2024. This loss has devastated his family and equally reverberated through the medical community, the city of Tucson, and Southern Arizona.

Sean was born on October 18, 1967, at Johns Hopkins Hospital to Sandra Jean (Howe) and Dr. Jan Ambrose Elliott, who was doing his pediatric residency at the time. Indeed, Jan was the first father allowed to witness and photograph birth at Johns Hopkins. In 1970, Sean's brother, Michael Bryan joined the family, and they relocated to Rockford, Illinois ("home of Cheap Trick!" as Sean reminded anyone who would listen). Sean was a gifted musician-starting with the piano-and singer, competed in debate, and earned Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, in the Boy Scouts of America. After breaking his nose at T-ball, his mother encouraged exclusively intellectual and artistic pursuits, and Sean excelled in both, performing with choirs and in musicals on stage.

Sean attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 1989. As a sophomore, he joined the Psi Upsilon fraternity, where he made some of his closest friends and was known for studying A LOT and for being the first one up and cleaning after parties. Sean also studied Karate and eventually earned his black belt. Upon graduation, Sean attended the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he learned medicine, played rugby briefly, ran the New York City Marathon (unregistered), and performed regularly with the Bard Hall Players theatre group. He also fell in love with Kim Gayton, who he met when she was directing and performing with the Bard Hall Players as a non-medical company member. After 11 months of dating, Sean proposed (after his mother told him to) on Valentine's Day, 1991, and they married in Walnut Creek, California, on June 21, 1992.

In 1993, Sean & Kim moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Sean pursued a residency in pediatrics at Northwestern Children's Hospital. While in residency, Sean discovered the "Sherlock Holmes" subspecialty of Infectious Diseases and decided to pursue further training at St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University. To keep things interesting, Kim gave birth to their daughter, Meghan Kristine, a mere six weeks after they moved to St. Louis. Upon the completion of his fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Sean began looking for a job in a location that he and Kim felt drawn to; much to their surprise, that was Tucson, Arizona, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine and the University Medical Center (later Banner-University).

In his medical career, Sean was an Energizer Bunny and, at one time, was holding three job titles at once. He happily served as the Pediatric Residency Program director, was the Director of Infection Prevention for the entire Center and connected hospitals, and eventually became the Interim Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs in the College of Medicine. He was recognized three times for Excellence in Teaching in the Clinical Sciences and received multiple accolades for humanism in medicine, reflecting his commitment to the holistic wellbeing of the patients and families he served. Sean produced over 40 publications (including "Rat bite fever and Streptobacillus moniliformis") and was awarded grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, and American Academy of Pediatrics. During this same period, Sean taught himself the guitar and joined and/or formed several bands, both performing covers and writing and performing original songs. His musical adventures culminated in his band, Jammin' with Jelly, opening for Molly Hatchett and George Thorogood at AVA Amphitheater. Sean was also active at Rincon Congregational UCC and frequently volunteered with Kim's and Meghan's Girl Scout troop. Above all, he loved being a husband and father; from date nights at the theatre to elaborate birthday "spider trap" treasure hunts, he found a way to infuse fun and joy into the house wherever he could, and, despite his multiple professional commitments, made it home almost every night to eat dinner with his wife and daughter.

After retiring early from UA as a professor emeritus, Sean moved to Tucson Medical Center, returning to clinical practice in Pediatric Infectious Disease, just in time for COVID! As the pandemic swept through the city and the world, he consulted for the Tucson hospital community and the Pima County Health Department. He also continued his passion for medical education through involvement with the TMC pediatric residency program. Teaching residents and seeing patients brought Sean great joy and satisfaction, and he was always willing to give a "curbside consult", answer questions, calm nerves, support all TMC personnel, and attend the noontime workouts at the gym. Though his knees and PCP told him not to, Sean also really enjoyed running races for fun and camaraderie.

Because he simply wasn't doing enough, Sean rejoined the University of Arizona Health Sciences part time as an assistant vice president for curricular affairs in 2023 to share his passion for and expertise in medical education and curriculum for developing programs. This required him to travel to Perth, Australia, to work with the University of Western Australia, which he loved.

Woodworking and carpentry were Sean's "happy place," and Sean & Kim loved to work on their house, both inside and out. Sean built the workshop of his dreams and produced furniture, frames, kitchen implements, and just about anything that followed Kim saying "I was thinking..." Sean & Kim were enthusiastic travelers, taking every opportunity for adventure in the U.S. and abroad, both as a couple and with their daughter Meghan. Favorites included a National Geographic trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and trips to Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, and Nova Scotia. Their most recent NG cruise up the Inside Passage from Seattle to Sitka was perfection. They had season tickets to the Arizona Theatre Company for 24 years, loved music of all genres, and never ran out of things to say to each other. Sean was particularly proud of his amazing daughter, Meghan, who followed in his footsteps at the University of Chicago and who will pursue a Master's of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis (once again following in her father's footsteps) this fall.

Sean's legacy of kindness, humor, and love lives on in the hearts of everyone who interacted with him. He was a bright light in this world. He will be missed.

For those wishing to honor Sean's extraordinary life, a memorial will be held on Thursday, June 13th at 5:30pm at the Berger Performing Arts Center at 1200 W. Speedway Blvd., 85745. A livestream of the event, as well as a virtual guestbook, will be available at https://evt.live/seanelliottmdmemorial (pre-registration required). In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations in Sean's memory to be sent to charities supporting children and families, such as the Tucson Community Food Bank and Casa de los Ninos.