Barbara J. Neuman, longtime resident of Beacon Hill, Boston and formerly of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and Montpelier, Vermont, passed away unexpectedly on May 4,2016 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston of complications following a heart attack.
Barbara was born on February 15,1954 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, to Paul J. and Isabel (Knuti) Neuman. She moved to Boston in 1972 after graduation from Beaver Dam High School to attend Emerson College. At Emerson, Barbara pursued and earned her undergraduate degree in Communication Arts and Science. During this time, Barbara worked for the State of Massachusetts in the Office of Consumer Affairs and discovered what would become a life-long passion for public service and protection.
While working in the Office of Consumer Affairs, Barbara worked in the lead-paint abatement and removal project, investigating and remediating family housing that could pose a threat to the health of the children living in those apartments. Barbara was also instrumental in drafting legislation that lead to Massachusetts passing the first 'Lemon Law' in the nation to protect consumers in the purchase of new vehicles that turned out to be defective. For her part in this important and groundbreaking legislation, Barbara was interviewed as a guest on ' Good Morning America'.
Barbara would go on to pursue and attain her Juris Doctor (Law) degree from Suffolk University in Boston and turn her attention to serving the needs of the public for quality medical care and the needs of the medical provider community for high standards in professional preparation, licensing and practice. Serving first the State of Massachusetts for several years, and then the State of Vermont for several more years, Barbara was the Executive Director of the State Board of Medical Practice.
As the capstone to her career, Barbara served as Executive Director of Administrators in Medicine, where she was instrumental in the development and implementation of DocFinder, a centralized website where individuals and organizations can search for physicians and other health care practitioner information, from multiple State databases. Launched in 1996, the website has received millions of hits, proving its popularity with consumers. For her years of tireless work and endless dedication to the Federation of State Medical Boards, Barbara was honored with an Award Luncheon in Boston in 2012.
Barbara cared deeply for those whose lives she touched, always put others' needs before her own, and always looked for the best in everyone. She had a delightful sense of humor and would light up your day with her ability to find something wonderful about you each time you met. Those of us lucky enough to have known her will only have to think of her to feel that love. Barbara always had a special dog, or two, in her life. She would greatly appreciate memorials in her name to the Animal Rescue League of Boston,10 Chandler St, Boston 02116 ([email protected]) in lieu of flowers.
The Neuman family, Barbara's brothers Paul of Sudbury, MA, Jim of Sunnyvale, CA, Mike of Beaver Dam, WI and Mark of Redondo Beach, CA, and her sister Mary of Beaver Dam, WI, extends their sincere gratitude and appreciation to the entire Coronary ICU team at Massachusetts General and, in particular, Dr. Amy Spooner and the surgical team as well as Brittany and the other dedicated nursing staff. Thank You.
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