Robert A. Blau M.D.

1932 - 2023

Robert A. Blau, MD
October 11, 1932 - June 7, 2023
Dr. Robert A. Blau, a San Francisco-based Internal Medicine physician known for his congeniality, warmth, generosity, kindness, and commitment to medicine. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving children on June 7, 2023, at the age of 90.
He was born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City to Dr. Herbert Blau, an Internal Medicine physician, and his wife Ceil. Robert was a proud alumnus of New York City's Horace Mann High School, Columbia University, and Downstate Medical Center where he obtained his medical degree and residency. He often credited his father for modeling a strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity and compassion in medicine.
Robert and his first wife, Miriam, moved from NYC to San Francisco in the late 1950s, where Robert worked as Vice-Chief of the Presbyterian Medical Center Arthritis Clinic (now called California Pacific Medical Center, CPMC) with Bill Kozel, M.D. before opening his own practice at 450 Sutter Street and later on Sacramento Street. Robert and his second wife, Anita, were two of the co-founding members of the Institute for the Study of Humanistic Medicine in the mid-1970s, where he published on the philosophy of humanistic medical care and methodology to apply holistic approaches to medicine to medical providers and care teams. Robert's love of medicine kept him seeing patients until the age of 85. He left a legacy of patients and colleagues who adored him.
Robert will be remembered by his family as a "renaissance man" - a movie buff (who could name every actor and every movie from 1939 to 1972), a historian of World War II, and a passion for literature and the performing arts. He was a humorous and generous friend, an avid global traveler, and a devoted father. Robert was the younger brother to Richard (predeceased, but survived by his son Peter), and is survived by his younger sister Barbara Donn (and her two children, David and Andrew), and his four loving children: Lisa Boles, Laurence Blau, Adam Blau, and Jenny Blau, MD, and their significant others. Robert will be forever remembered by his 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
There will be a private service for Dr. Blau at a later date.