Eugene Lesley Komrad

Gene was born July 20, 1928 in New York City. He attended college at Long Island University, graduating in 1948. He attended Boston University for post-graduate education, receiving an M.S .and PH.D. in physiology in 1953. He was employed in New Orleans as a post-doc at Ochsner Medical Foundation and taught at Tulane University. His work was primarily in endocrinology and he felt that he should be able to interface with medical patients. So, he decided to become a physician and attended Duke University, receiving his M.D. degree in 1956. There, he fell in love with surgery, and decided to pursue that speciality instead of endocrinology. He joined the Air Force, which sent him to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York for his surgical residency, which he completed in 1961. He spent 3 years in Japan as Surgeon-in-Chief of the U.S. Air Force there, with a period in Vietnam, where he took his wife and son to live with him in Saigon. Afterwards, he spent 3 years in Tampa, Florida at McDill Air Force Base. He left the Air Force and went to Miami where he joined the Surgical Group of Miami private practice. He became Chief of Staff at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital (now University of Miami). Throughout his career, he became interested in the emerging field of Medical Utilization Review, a precursor to the modern Managed Care industry. He founded the

American Board of Physician Utilization Review and Quality of Care. As a result, when he retired from operating, in his 60’s, he was poised to enter the world of HMOs as medical director, first at Humana, and eventually becoming medical director of Cigna, then United Health Care, and finally, Quality Oncology, in his 70’s. After retirement he continued consulting work for Advanced Medical Review into his 80’s.

He married Audrey Katz in 1951, an internationally acclaimed artist. They were married for over 71 years. Her celebrated medium was cloisonne’ and champleve’ enameling, with pieces owned by several heads of state and celebrites. Together they traveled the world. In fact, they once were instrumental in stopping a small skirmish between two tribes in Papua, New Guinea over an unpaid dowry!

For many years he was active at Temple Judea in Coral Gables, FL where he both sang in the choir (with his son) and sometimes filled in for the cantorial soloist on the pulpit when she was away.

He has one son, Mark Komrad MD, a psychiatrist, who survives him with his beloved daughter-in-law, Cantor Kim Komrad, and one grandson, Ilan Komrad. He was very proud of them all, and they manifest his legacy of curiosity, lovingkindness, and love of the arts and performance.

Donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.