Enoch Gordis

GORDIS

ENOCH GORDIS (Age 92)

Enoch Gordis, MD, passed away peacefully at his home in Gaithersburg, MD on April 5, 2023. He was a beloved and exuberant presence in his family and for them the loss is profound. He led a very full life, inspired by three great passions: science, music and the outdoors. As a scientist, he made major contributions to the field of alcoholism treatment and research. He was an excellent pianist and chamber music player and performed regularly in the Washington, DC area. He was an ardent hiker and wilderness backpacker.



The son of Rabbi Robert Gordis and Fannie Gordis, he grew up in New York City. He trained as physician at Columbia University and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, with a specialty in internal medicine. Following 2 years in the United States Army Medical Corps, his love of basic science led him to The Rockefeller University, in New York City, where he spent 10 years, from 1961 to 1971, conducting medical research in the laboratory of Vincent Dole, MD, whose work on addiction resulted in the creation of the first methadone treatment and research programs in the country. During his last few years at Rockefeller, Dr. Gordis turned his attention specifically to alcoholism.



In 1971, he left Rockefeller to establish and direct an alcoholism treatment program at the Elmhurst City Hospital in the Borough of Queens, New York City. During the next 14-15 years, Dr. Gordis was responsible for the care of almost 15,000 patients, thousands of whom he saw himself. He worked the clinic, made detox rounds, met with half-way house residents, and taught medical students.



In 1986, Dr. Gordis was appointed Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), at the National Institutes of Health. Over the next 14 years, through his leadership at NIAAA, alcoholism research flourished. Funding increased significantly and the field, and particularly NIAAA's critical role in it, are widely respected by the research community, the treatment world, and the public. Dr. Gordis was beloved at the Institute and admired as a broad-thinking scientist and as a humanitarian. He created a sense of family, encouraged young people, credited all contributions, was generous and kind, and brightened the office with a booming laugh that echoed up and down the halls.



Dr. Gordis retired from NIAAA in 2001 and thereafter devoted his time to rebuilding piano technique from the ground up; to piano performance, to hiking in the Tetons, the Adirondacks, the Sierra Nevada, and the Canadian Rockies; and to his children and grandchildren. His enthusiasm for life and learning and his sense of humor never waned.



He is survived by his wife, best friend and co-adventurer of nearly 50 years, Mary Ellen Bliss; daughter Deborah Gordis of Bethesda, MD (Frank Sheed) and son Joshua Gordis of Monterey, CA, (from his first marriage to the late Lucille Sapirstein); his brother David (Felice Gordis) of Voorheesville, NY, and four grandchildren - Julia, Grace, Hannah, and Joseph.



A memorial celebrating his life will be held at 3 p.m. on May 21, 2023, in the Hefner Community Center at Asbury Methodist Village, 301 Odendhal Avenue, Gaithersburg MD.