David Prager M.D.

"> David Prager, M.D.
David Prager, M.D., 78, husband of Rhoda, passed away on Sunday, June 6 at his home in South Whitehall Twp. Dr. Prager was born and raised in Bronx, NY and was the son of the late Harry and Hazel (Levine) Prager. He attended Utica College, Syracuse University and The Chicago Medical School. Following his medical training he served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. For more than 30 years, he practiced medicine in the Lehigh Valley and was a distinguished cancer specialist. He is credited with launching the Miller Memorial Blood Center (the blood bank serving all the hospitals in Lehigh and Northampton counties), bringing hospice care to the Valley, using the latest approved and experimental cancer therapies for patients and training and educating hundreds of medical school students and graduates. He spent a combined 16 years as Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology in Allentown Hospital and Lehigh Valley Hospital Center and 18 years as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Hahnemann University. He held other teaching positions at the University of Washington School of Medicine, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He received numerous awards and research grants from hospitals, the National Cancer Institute and the American College of Physicians. He published many articles on cancer and blood diseases and invented a medical device to simplify the injection of multiple chemotherapy drugs. He was Director of the John and Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center, a member of the Health Services Agency for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, medical director of HealthEast and President of the Lehigh Valley Ambulatory Care Center. His many outside interests included operating the Lehigh Hay Factory and Tree Farm, holding various positions with the South Whitehall Township Zoning Board, wood working, genealogy, helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity and working at the Wildlands Conservancy. Most importantly, he greatly enjoyed spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren who will forever miss him. Survivors: In addition to his loving wife, Rhoda of 46 years, he leaves behind his sons, Brett Prager and his wife Wendy of Short Hills, NJ, and Matthew Prager of Brooklyn, NY; daughter, Nancy Prager of Los Angeles, CA; three grandchildren, Amanda, Kiara and Savannah; and sister, Marilyn Klion of Florida. Services: Memorial 1 p.m. Wednesday, Congregation Keneseth Israel, 2227 Chew Street, Allentown. Interment will be private at the convenience of the family in Keneseth Israel Cemetery. Arrangements by Bachman, Kulik & Reinsmith Funeral Home, Allentown. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Dr. Pragers name to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Neurology-Parkinsons Research Division, 97 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ.