EMANUEL FRIEDMAN

FRIEDMAN--Emanuel A., MD. Emanuel A. Friedman, MD, MedScD, Obstetrician, Educator, and Innovator, 98. Emanuel A. Friedman, prof- essor and chairman emeritus of OB/GYN and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and OB/GYN-in-chief emeritus of Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He was a leading figure in applying scientific objectivity to clinical practice, research and teaching of OB/GYN. He died on February 13 in New York. Dr. Friedman died of respiratory failure. Dr. Friedman was principally known for his discovery of a clinical means for evaluating the course of labor by what became known universally as the "Friedman Curve." The curve, used by obstetricians and midwives everywhere, describe the progressive course of two basic elements of labor: cervical dilation and fetal descent. The labor curves proved to be an invaluable clinical and research tool. They were adopted for general use after he began publishing his findings in 1954. They remain in routine use. Dr. Friedman published over 500 papers and 50 books in a career that spanned more than 70 years. His works covered a wide range of clinical aspects of OB/GYN, most notably, the textbook "Biological Principles and Modern Practice of Obstetrics," coauthored with the late J.P. Greenhill, and the monograph "Labor: Clinical Evaluation and Management." Emanuel A. Friedman, "Mannie" to his friends, was born on June 9, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York to Louis Friedman and Pauline (Feldman) Friedman. He attended Brooklyn College, where he met his future wife E. Judith ("Judy") Salomon on the first day of school in 1942; they married six years later. His college education was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Returning to college, he graduated with a BA, magna cum laude. He was admitted to Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree with honors in 1951. His postgraduate training included a year as intern at the Cornell Division of Bellevue Hospital, followed by five years at Columbia as resident and chief resident in OB/GYN, before being appointed to the full-time faculty in 1957. In 1959, he was awarded a Doctor of Medical Science degree from Columbia University for his research work on uterine physiology, human labor and biostatistics. Dr. Friedman relocated to Chicago in 1963 as professor and department chairman of OB/GYN at the Chicago Medical School and as department head at the Michael Reese Medical Center. In 1969, he joined the Harvard Medical School faculty in Boston as tenured professor of OB/GYN and reproductive biology and chief at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. He served as department chairman at Harvard in the 1970s. In these roles, he built a strong clinical department with a large residency program. He was among the first to recruit women and minority candidates into the OB/ GYN residency program. Dr. Friedman was an active program director and consultant expert for numerous projects supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including those assessing the long-term impact of labor and delivery on offspring, the diagnosis and management of toxemia of pregnancy, and the obstetric causes of developmental disabilities. For the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other consultancies, he served on the committee on OB/GYN devices, which focused on the adverse impact of intrauterine contraceptive devices. Dr. Friedman was honored by numerous awards and commendations throughout his career. In 2020, he was designated a Giant in OB/GYN by the Perinatal Research Branch of the NIH and the American Journal of OB/ GYN for his lifetime contributions to the field. A lifetime Harvard professor emeritus, he and his wife returned to New York in 1990 to be near the opera, a life-long love they shared. They were devoted patrons of the Metropolitan Opera. An inseparable couple, they also traveled extensively together. He joined the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as clinical professor. Dr. Friedman is predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Judy Friedman; by his daughter Lynn Friedman and her husband, John Crothers; and by his domestic partner, Katherina Denzinger. He is survived by his children: Meryl Ruth (Alfred Wolff) of Maine, and Lee (Leslie) Friedman of Texas; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The family also acknowledges the children derived from the pioneering program of reproductive technology involving Dr. Friedman at Columbia University. These include Dr Tarz Palomba; Joseph Palomba; Lee Desrosiers; Dr Margaret Frank; Dr Frederick Frank; Richard Laermer; Stuart Laermer; Robin Kasparian; Christine Heinlen; Tom Caprio; and Joseph Caprio. A memorial service will be held Thursday, March 6, at 3:00pm at Riverside Memorial Chapel (180 W. 76th Street).