EDWARD BURGER Jr.

1933 - 2020

BURGER Edward James Burger, Jr. 1933 - 2020 Dr. Edward James Burger, a resident of Washington, DC and Chelsea, VT for over 50 years, passed away from heart failure on April 4, 2020 at Georgetown University Hospital. With him were Sarah Greene Burger, his wife of 60 years; and his daughters, Heidi Kole of New York City and Hilary Burger of Albuquerque, NM, who could only be with him by phone. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1933, Dr. Burger's lifelong global perspective was seeded with fascinating childhood years spent in Geneva and in Tokyo, where his father was sent by the U.S. Secretary of the Army to reorganize the Japanese power industry under General MacArthur. It was in Tokyo that Ed pursued piano studies of both the classical and jazz repertoire, a pursuit that became a lifelong struggle and joy. He received his B.Sc. and an M.D. degree from McGill University in Montreal; and after serving with the US Navy Medical Corps from 1961-64, he earned his Doctor of Science in Public Health from Harvard University in 1966. Throughout Ed's career, his contributions in the field of public health reflected a unique interest in and ability to integrate the critical intersections between science, medicine, and the environment. Serving on the staff of the President's Science Adviser, from 1969-1976, he helped develop federal programs and policies in biomedical research, national health insurance, population and family planning, food and nutrition and healthcare delivery. Dr. Burger then became a professor in the Department of Community Medicine of the Georgetown Medical School. He founded and directed the Institute for Health Policy Analysis at the Georgetown University Medical Center (1981-1990). Recognized as a critical resource of information and analysis for major health-risk policy, Congress awarded the Institute a special appropriation, citing it as a "good example of a university, industry, governmental collaborative effort in behalf of the national interest". Internationally, Dr. Burger was a key player in the advancement of US-USSR/Russia scientific and medical cooperation. In the early 1970s he assisted in developing bilateral science agreements, which became an important channel for cooperation in the latter decades of the Cold War. He pioneered constructive engagement with the Soviet Union/Russian Federation in medical science, a passion that he pursued for the rest of his life. In 1997-2013, when most of his peers were retired, he founded and directed the Eurasian Medical Education Program, with the American College of Physicians, a program for continuing medical education for Russian physicians. While most U.S. initiatives focused on Moscow, Dr. Burger concentrated on bringing medicine to remote regions deep inside Russia. His program was remarkably successful and he was superb at building and sustaining good relationships even as government-to-government relations deteriorated. In recognition of this work, he was named a Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Tatarstan). While wider international recognition came in 2018 when Dr. Burger was inducted as a Fellow into the prestigious Royal College of Physicians in London, his commitment to civic affairs in his hometowns -- Washington, DC and Chelsea, VT -- never waivered. In Washington he played a leading role for over 35 years as a civil society member of the Council for Court Excellence, an organization founded in 1982 to advance judicial reforms in the nation's capitol. In Chelsea, Vermont, where he and Sarah bought an old farm in 1967, Ed quickly proved that he was not just another outsider coming to enjoy a beautiful Vermont summer. With the help of a tractor lent to him by welcoming, generous neighbors flush with humor and advice, the old Mattoon Farm came to life and the land was conserved for generations to come. Beyond the farm, Ed's dedication to addressing the challenges of this small town was established: he attended annual Town Meetings and served on the Town Planning Commission. He also used his expertise to work the levers of state and national government to bring Chelsea broadband services, and federal financial help to villagers devastated by unexpected floods. Chelsea as well as Washington were at the heart of Ed's life. The threads came together each Memorial Day weekend when Ed, as a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, took special delight in participating in Chelsea's Memorial Day parade and celebrations. . Those who loved and admired Ed in Washington, Chelsea and around the world will miss him very much. Gifts in Ed Burger's memory would be welcomed by either the First Branch Ambulance Service in Chelsea, VT, P.O.Box 74, Chelsea, VT 05038 or the Council for Court Excellence, 1111 14th St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005. A celebration of gratitude for those who touched Ed Burger's life will be held at a later date.A celebration of gratitude for those who touched Ed Burger's life will be held at a later date.