Dr. Edward R. Powsner M.D.

Edward Raphael Powsner, MD, MHSA. Born March 17, 1926 in New York City. He died in his sleep in Boston, MA on January 11, 2019. A resident of Ann Arbor for almost 60 years, he and his wife, Rhoda, relocated to Massachusetts in 2013 to be near family. Dr. Powsner served from 1944-1947 in the U.S. Army Signal Corp during World War II and patrolled Italy immediately following the war. A graduate of M.I.T., he earned both a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and Master’s degree in Biology before attending Yale Medical School and then training as a resident at Wayne County General and Detroit Receiving Hospitals in Michigan.

Dr. Powsner practiced almost 40 years in the fields of pathology and nuclear medicine. He was board certified first in internal medicine, then pathology (anatomic & clinical) and finally in nuclear medicine. After residency he began working at the V.A. Hospital in Allen Park, MI and joined the faculty at Wayne State University. During his more than 20 years at the VA, he worked in both pathology and nuclear medicine while pursuing research in hematology. He advanced to the rank of professor of pathology at Wayne State and served as the director of the nuclear medicine service at the V.A. He also served as the chief of clinical laboratories at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

He left Wayne State and the V.A. to become associate chairman of the department of pathology at Michigan State University. He finally retired from academia and worked as chief of nuclear medicine at St. John’s Hospital in Harper Woods. While there, he also earned a Masters of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan.

His first book, Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine, was published in 1971. After he retired from active practice, he co-authored three editions of Essential Nuclear Medicine Physics with his daughter, Dr. Rachel Powsner.

Dr. Powsner was deeply devoted to his wife of 64 years, Rhoda, who died in 2014. He met her on their first day of medical school. He was an avid tennis player and skier. He is survived by their beloved children and grandchildren: Seth and his wife Elizabeth Yen; Rachel and her husband Ron Gurrera and their children Arianna and Daniel; Ethan and his wife Cynthia and their children Hilary, Sarah, and Carl; and, David and his wife Susan and their children Emily, Jonathan, Abigail, and Nathaniel. He is also survived by his brother Henry and his three nieces, Kim (Stan) Corfman, Shelley (Steve) Skrovan, and Laurie (Jonathan) Krejci. A burial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at Arborcrest Memorial Park Cemetery 2521 Glazier Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Michigan's University Musical Society, or a charity of choice. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S 4th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI (734) 663-3375. Please share a memory of Dr. Powsner with his family at his online guestbook.