Robert Greenwald

Dr. Robert Greenwald of Melville passed away in his home on February 16, 2023 at the age of 80. Bob, as he was known to his friends and family, had a big personality. He was light on small talk, and at times could be brusque, but was always one for a laugh. His myriad contributions to the academic literature include publications such as the results of the ACRONYM project: Acronyms for Clinical Research Opportunities: Names You Missed!

Bob was born on January 23, 1943 to Lilian, formerly Schmulevic, and Charles Greenwald. Born and raised in the Bronx, he was valedictorian of the first graduating class of Herricks High School in Roslyn, New York in 1961. From there he headed west to Caltech, and then returned to the east coast to study medicine at Johns Hopkins. He published his first humorous essay there, for which the eponymic Greenwald’s disease was named, an ailment that afflicts mostly males in their third to fifth decade who have a tendency to identify obscure insignificant ailments with the intent that they be named after themselves.

Bob was a founder of the Rheumatology Division at Long Island Jewish, where he served from 1972 until 2010 as Chief of Rheumatology and trained 35 fellows, who now practice in the surrounding area. He was proud of his contribution to the growth of the medical profession, but he was perpetually irked by what he viewed as excessive testing and unnecessary treatments. He never issued a test without asking himself, what would I do differently based on the results? If the answer was nothing—if the test results were a mere curiosity—he refused to issue a script. In 2009, he was named a Master of the American College of Rheumatology for a distinguished career in scientific research, teaching, and patient care.

Bob’s lifelong hobby was stamp collecting. Through this hobby he mastered geography and historical events, a favorite of his which was the International Geophysical Year. In 2007, his IGY exhibit was awarded a silver medal at a meeting of the American First Day Cover Society in Stamford, CT. He also collected stamps from Hong Kong and Macau, and unexploded booklets. Back in the 1980s, he founded the Booklet Collectors Club, and then became a very early adopter and promoter of desktop publishing software, so that he could self-publish their monthly journal, The Interleaf, which he created and edited.

He always said, “opposites attract,” and nowhere was this more clear than in his marriage of 55 years to Elaine Kamhi, Ph.D., a woman 13 inches shorter than him (in heels). He adored her, and was so grateful for her efforts these past few years to sustain him in spite of his health complications.

Bob is survived by his wife Elaine, his daughters Amy Greenwald (husband Justin Boyan), Carolyn Greenwald-Schaye (husband Adam Greenwald-Schaye), Michele Even (husband Ron Even), his grandchildren Ella and Carmen Greenwald Boyan, Nathan, Teddy, and Jaime Greenwald-Schaye, and Hannah and Jared Even, his brother Arthur Greenwald, and his niece Brenna Greenwald.