Alan Lowell Sorkin

Alan L. Sorkin, PhD, an important contributor to the field of health economics, passed away August 20, 2022, at his home in Forest Hill, MD of blood cancer. He was 80 years old.

Dr. Sorkin was born in Decatur, IL, and grew up in Bladensburg, MD. His father, Martin Sorkin, was an agricultural economist, and his mother, Sally Sorkin, was a homemaker. Alan was a graduate of Bladensburg High School, and the Johns Hopkins University, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Throughout his life, Alan remained strongly connected to his friends from Bladensburg High School and Johns Hopkins University. Alan met Sylvia, his devoted wife of 55 years, on a blind date on Friday, December 13, 1963. They married in 1967 and had two children, David (Hyun) and Suzanne, and two grandchildren, Neil and Jay.

Alan was Professor Emeritus and long-time chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He served as guide and mentor for hundreds of students and faculty during his career. He authored many academic books, which he drafted in pencil on yellow legal pads. His textbook, Health Economics: An Introduction, became a classic in the field and was translated into Korean and Japanese.

Alan never fully retired, continuing to teach and advise students at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he had served for over 50 years. In the late 1960’s, Alan evaluated federal health programs for Native Americans. His research often focused upon health care in developing countries, for example, studying cholera vaccinations in villages of north India. He was dedicated for many years to the Delta Omega Public Health Society Alpha Chapter Executive Board and Student Nomination Committee at Johns Hopkins.

Alan was active at St. Michael Lutheran Church, Perry Hall, where he volunteered as church council president and in other roles. He enjoyed traveling with his wife, spending time with his children and grandchildren, swimming, and reading. Alan exhibited an extraordinary memory of events and dates. He was a lifelong learner taking courses in African American history, Holocaust literature, and other humanities and social sciences after he retired from UMBC in 2005. Library books and audiobooks sustained his love of biography and history, especially World War II, during his illness.

A visitation for Alan will be held at Schimunek Funeral Home, 9705 Belair Rd, (Nottingham) on Friday, August 26, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A visitation will be held again on Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 9 AM to 9:30 AM at St. Michael's Lutheran Church Perry Hall, 9534 Belair Road, Nottingham, MD 21236. At which time funeral services will begin at 9:30 AM.

Interment Highview Memorial Gardens, Fallston.

If desired contributions may be made in his memory to Harford County Public Library https://donate.hcplonline.org or to Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company https://fvfac.org/donations/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.dignitymemorial.com for the Sorkin family.