March 20, 1948 – June 10, 2021
Dr. Robert J. Friedman, MD, MSc, was born on March 20, 1948, adopted by his loving parents Josef and Evelyn Friedman. He passed away peacefully on June 10, 2021, with his loving wife, Nancy, and children, Scott and Seth, by his bedside. Bob previously resided in Scarsdale, NY, Stamford, CT, as well as at the Ballenisles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Bob is survived by his wife of 51 years, Nancy Friedman, and his two children and their spouses: Scott Friedman (Jessica Fink) and Seth Friedman (Randi). He is also survived by his five grandchildren: Madison Friedman, Joshua Friedman, Zachary Friedman, Abigail Friedman, and Hannah Friedman and many nieces and nephews.
He was a graduate of McMaster University (Master of Science), Albert Einstein School of Medicine (’78), Fellowship in Dermatopathology at NYU in concert with a Complete Residency in Pathology at NYU/Bellevue (’80), and Complete Residency in Dermatology, also at NYU (’82).
Bob was an Assistant Professor in Dermatology when he, Alfred Kopf and Darrell Rigel, joined forces to enhance the scale of the Melanoma Cooperative Study Group at NYU. In 1985, he, along with former NYU colleagues Alfred Kopf, MD, and Darrell Rigel, MD, created the original ABCD guide: "Early Detection of Malignant Melanoma: The Role of Physician Examination and Self-Examination of the Skin," which was published in the CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Soon after, he co-founded Dermpath, Inc., with his partner, Ed Heilman, alongside their wives, Nancy and Betty. The business proved to be a well-respected dermatopathology laboratory, lasting 20 years. Contemporaneously, Bob joined a private practice with Alfred Kopf from 1982 – 2002. When Al retired, he became a solo practitioner. Bob went to his practice every day with a smile on his face because he loved his patients and his patients loved him. The practice was impeccably managed by Nancy, who made sure that the business ran like a ticking Swiss clock, despite Bob’s gift for gab. As hard as she tried, wait room delays were not uncommon, often exceeding several hours. In addition to his extraordinary career as a practitioner and a teacher and mentor to so many successful doctors, Bob was the founder of MDSolarSciences Corp., an indie brand focused on sun
Robert J. Friedman, MD, MSc Obituary
March 20, 1948 – June 10, 2021
care protection. Given his love, affection, and devotion to his patients, a part of Bob died when he was forced to retire from practicing medicine in 2017 due to ailing health issues.
After approximately 35 years of practicing, Bob retired to Palm Beach Gardens, FL where he lived until passing away peacefully. He was happiest when in the company of friends and family, especially his grandkids.
In lieu of sending flowers, it was Bob’s wish to support the following organizations:
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine – https://einsteinmed.org/giving/online-gift
• New York University Medical Center, Department of Dermatology for Melanoma Research – https://nyulangone.org/give/fundraise/robertfriedman
• The Skin Cancer Foundation – https://give.skincancer.org/InMemoryofRobertJFriedman
The family will be celebrating Bob’s life at I.J. Morris at Star of David Cemetery of the Palm Beaches in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The service will begin promptly at 11am. For those joining the service via Zoom, please use the following link:
Topic: Robert Friedman Funeral Service
Time: June 15, 2021, 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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