HARRY LODGE

LODGE--Dr. Harry.

received his MD degree from Columbia University Medical School in 1985 and was recognized at graduation for outstanding performance with the Robert F. Loeb Award. Dr. Lodge joined the Columbia Medical School faculty as an instructor in 1988, and rose through the ranks to become Robert Burch Family Professor of Medicine in 2014. The academic contributions that propelled his career were varied and significant, and were recognized in his many professional successes. As an advisor and professor, he placed a special importance on mentoring the next generation of clinicians and teaching the art of diagnosis. Among many distinguished faculty roles he was also a member of the Faculty Council's executive committee, the President's Advisory council, and the Executive Committee of the Society of Practitioners, where he was vice president from 2003-2006. At the age of 37, Dr. Lodge developed innovative ideas that led to the formation of an independent medical group, New York Physicians, of which he was Chairman and CEO until his death. With New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University, he pioneered relationships that promoted the growth of primary care and provided the opportunity for many young physicians to enter practice. During his tenure, New York Physicians grew to 22 physicians, serving a patient population of over 40,000. It remains the only independent medical group affiliated with New York Presbyterian and Columbia. Dr. Lodge contributed a great deal to public health education. As co-author of Younger Next Year and Younger Next Year for Women, he articulated the biology of aging and detailed how to live a vibrant life well into old age. Hundreds of people, not only patients, have attested that those books have changed their lives. Dr. Lodge's advice was even heeded by prominent figures such as Bill Gates and former President Obama in 2012. Collectively, the books have sold over two million copies and have been translated into 21 languages. Dr. Lodge appeared on a wide variety of national TV shows and radio shows, wrote articles for many magazines, was a contributing Medical Editor for SELF magazine, and made a PBS special on the biology of aging in 2011. Dr. Lodge's successes in clinical medicine, practice development and management, and in public health education were not only respected and admired by his colleagues, but also recognized in his being named to such prestigious honor roles as Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Castle Connolly, America's Top Doctors and Best Doctors in New York. Dr. Lodge's charisma and vision inspired philanthropists for the public good. His Robert Burch Professorship led to the creation of the Columbia Public Voices Fellowship Program. Through this program, Dr. Lodge sought to inspire other Columbia faculty to contribute to essential and accessible public discourse on medicine, health and well-being, as he had done through his writings. In honor of Dr. Lodge, Gilbert Butler recently established the Primary Care Endowment Fund to support the training of primary care doctors as well as their invaluable contributions to medical education. Dr. Lodge noted, "Primary care training is the bedrock of our profession, yet it is often overlooked. Gilbert Butler's extraordinary gift supports an area of urgent need and fundamental importance". Dr. Lodge was so graced with seemingly every gift that one could only marvel at his unspoiled generosity, his self- deprecating wit, his unbridled optimism, his raw creative energy, his enduring empathy and compassion, his brilliance, and the profound devotion to and love for his patients and friends, but most especially for his family. To know him was an honor, and to call him a friend was a privilege. He was an exceptionally devoted father and a profoundly dedicated life partner. In his personal life, Harry was an avid outdoorsman. He loved hiking, skiing and any time he could spend on the ocean. He also had a lifelong passion for bicycling, and a love for New York City. He is survived by his mother, Elenita Lodge, his sister Felicity Lodge, his two brothers John and Fred Lodge, his adoring daughters Madeleine and Samantha Lodge, his five devoted nieces and nephews, his life partner and soul mate Laura Yorke, and her grateful sons Elliott and Coleman Snyder. Donations in memory of Dr. Lodge can be made to the Primary Care Endowment Fund at Columbia University Medical Center, care of Caroline Hastings, 516 W. 168th St., 3rd Fl., New York, NY, 10032.