Bennett Lorber

Bennett Lorber
Bennett Lorber, March 2016
Born	(1943-04-01) April 1, 1943 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Residence	Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Education	Swarthmore College (BA), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (MD)
Known for	Medical educator, authority on the listeriosis bacterial infection in humans, and past president of both the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Anaerobe Society of the Americas

Dr. Bennett Lorber, MD is the Thomas M. Durant Chair in Medicine and a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Between 1983 and 2006 he served as chief of that school's Section of Infectious Diseases. He is a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia where he served as president from 2010-2012. He was president of Anaerobe Society of the Americas,^[1] an international scientific society, from 2008-2010.^[2][3][4]

Career

Academic positions

Portrait of Bennett Lorber by Randall Exon, 2014

In 1971 Lorber joined the faculty of the Temple University School of Medicine^{[note 1]} and was appointed a professor of medicine there in 1983. From 1983 to 2006 he served as chief of the school's Section of Infectious Diseases and, in 1988, was named the first recipient of the Thomas Durant Chair in Medicine, a position he holds concurrently with that of professor of microbiology and immunology.^[5]

Lorber has more than 140 publications to his credit, and has contributed to every edition of Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, the authoritative textbook in the field of infectious diseases.

Clinical work, hospital positions, and research interests

Lorber is a leading authority on listeriosis and anaerobic infections. He also studies the impact of societal changes on infectious disease patterns and the relationship between infectious agents and chronic illness.^[6] Dr. Lorber was appointed to be a fellow at Temple University Hospital in 1971 with specialty in infectious diseases. He is an attending staff physician at Temple University Hospital and his position as Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases included oversight of research and clinical practice at this hospital as well. He has been a consultant in infectious diseases at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, the Germantown Hospital and Dispensary, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, and the Jeanes Hospital, Philadelphia.^[7][8]

Awards and honors

In 2013 the American College of Physicians Board of Regents presented Dr. Lorber with the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award which is given to a fellow or master of the college who "has demonstrated the ennobling qualities of a great teacher as judged by the acclaim and accomplishments of former students who have been inspired and have achieved positions of leadership in the field of medical education, primarily as teachers."^[8] He has also received twelve Golden Apple Teaching Awards, conferred by the Temple University Chapter of the American Medical Student Association to members of the faculty in recognition of outstanding dedication, ability and zeal in furthering the education of medical students.^[9] He received the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1978 and Temple University's Great Teacher Award in 1991.^[10][11][12] He is the only two-time recipient of the Russell and Pearl Moses Memorial Endowed Medical Award for excellence in clinical teaching (Temple University School of Medicine^{[note 1]}, 1985, 1990).^[13] On two occasions the Temple University graduating medical school class has dedicated its yearbook to Dr. Lorber (1975, 1988).^[14]

In addition to these honors, Dr. Lorber received the Alexander Fleming Lifetime Achievement Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2003) granted "in recognition of a career that reflects major contributions to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about infectious diseases.".^[15][16] In 2003 he also received the Clinical Practice Award of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians. He was elected president of Anaerobe Society of the Americas in 2008 and of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 2010.^[5] He was given an honorary doctorate of science by Swarthmore College in 1996. In 2012 he was named outstanding senior educator by the Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine^{[note 1]}. In 2004 he was elected to the Academy of Distinguished Educators in Medicine and in 2005 the alumni association of the Temple University School of Medicine^{[note 1]} presented him with the Honored Professor Award. He has been frequently requested to give papers to members of medical societies and was selected as presenter of the infectious diseases update at the annual meeting of American College of Physicians in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2013. In 2016 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Anaerobe Society of the Americas at their biennial meeting held in Nashville.^{[7][13][17][18][19]}

Professional organization memberships

Lorber is a member of the following organizations:

Certifications

Lorber holds a Pennsylvania State Medical License. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine (1974) and infectious disease (1976).

Education

Lorber attended Swarthmore College where he majored in zoology and art history and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1964. He then attended the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated as doctor of medicine in 1968. He served an internship (1968–69) and residency in internal medicine (1969–71) and was a Fellow in Infectious Diseases (1971-1973) at Temple University Hospital.

Personal life

Lorber is a professional artist. His paintings have been exhibited at commercial and public galleries including Muse Gallery, Philadelphia (2009); the University City Arts League, Philadelphia (1997 and 2009); Frame House in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (2000 and 2006); and List Gallery, Swarthmore College on numerous occasions.^[20] A website, Bennett Lorber, provides images of some of Dr. Lorber's paintings.

Lorber is an accomplished guitarist and member of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector from the United States Army with the rank of captain.

Lorber was appointed to the Swarthmore College Board of Managers in 2002^[3] and has served on the Board since then in various capacities including member of the Executive Committee; Board Secretary; chair of the Academic Affairs Committee; and chair of the Social Responsibility Committee. He is also a class agent for the class of 1964.

Lorber's parents were Fred Lorber and Ovilla Nardello Lorber, both deceased. He has a brother, Harry, and sister, Renėe. In 1964 he married Carol Finneburgh Lorber. They have two children, Samuel and Joshua.

Notes

References