Gary Kardos

Dr. Gary G. Kardos Died on April 15, 2011 from lung cancer at the age of 74. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 50 years, Zeeva, his two loving daughters Dr. Leslie Kardos and Kate Kardos-Polevoi, his four granddaughters, Danielle, Lexie, Sofia and Sasha, his two son-in-laws, Dr. Steven K. Polevoi and Mr. Miguel Barron and his sister Judy Martin of Los Angeles. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Kardos grew up in Beverly Hills where he attended Beverly Hills High School and later received his BA in Zoology and Philosophy from UCLA. A resident of San Francisco since 1958, Dr. Kardos attended UCSF Medical School where he also completed his internship, residency and chief residency. After two years of military duty as a Captain in the Vietnam War, he returned to San Francisco in 1968 where he began the practice of Internal Medicine and Nephrology at Franklin Hospital, (now known as the Davies Campus of CPMC) where remained in private practice until December of 2001. During these years, Dr. Kardos worked with Dr. Frank Gotch in the first public dialysis unit at SFGH and the first private Northern California Hemodialysis unit at Franklin Hospital where he was Associate Director of the Dialysis Unit from 1980 to 1997. Dr. Kardos was active in both local and state medical affairs and served on many medical committees. He was chief of staff at Davies Medical Center from 1986 to 1987 where he chaired many committees including the Institutional Review Board, Accreditation Committee, Credentials Committee and Utilization Committee. Dr. Kardos was also a member of the San Francisco Medical Society where he was on the By Laws Committee, Ethics Committee, Board of Directors and served as Vice-Chairman of the Hospital Medical Staff Section. Dr. Kardos has been a member of the Clinical Faculty at UCSF since 1967 where he remained an active teacher to both the house staff and medical students. In 2002, Dr. Kardos became a Clinical Professor at UCSF where he worked as a part-time nephrology attending in the Division of Nephrology. In 2005 he became a Clinical Professor, Emeritus and continued to work as a part-time Nephrology attending at the VA Hospital where he remained until his diagnosis in December of 2010. Dr. Kardos was most happy teaching the art, craft and science of the clinical practice of Nephrology to his fellows. His love of clinical medicine and unrelenting dedication to each patient and his own ethical standards were well known to those who had the fortune of working with him. Dr. Kardos will forever be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law and brother. He was a dedicated patron of both the San Francisco Symphony and A.C.T. and loved to travel with his wife. Dr. Kardos was also an avid reader, writer, amateur photographer, computer enthusiast, master gourmand and chef. He especially loved cooking for his family every Sunday night where they came to enjoy wonderful food and lasting memories. Dr. Kardos' self -published cookbook, Cooking with the Doctor, was his most recent accomplishment. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 10:30 a.m., Congregational Emanu-El, 2 Lake Street in San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, a fund is being set up in honor of Dr. Kardos through the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at UCSF, for the support and teaching of clinical Nephrology.