Burton Donald Cohen was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on August 10, 1926, the son of Herman and Gertrude (Brown) Cohen. Following graduation from Crosby High School in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served in the Pacific during World War II.
He graduated from Yale College in the class of 1950, majoring in Physics and earning election to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He continued his studies at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He trained in the field of Internal Medicine as a resident at Bellevue Hospital where he entered the new subspecialty of nephrology. He completed his training as Chief Medical Resident at Memorial-Sloan-Kettering.
He then entered the field of medical research as a Clinical Investigator for the Veterans Administration in New York, and later as Career Scientist for the Health Research Council of New York City. Meanwhile, he joined the staff of the Bronx Hospital and began a long career with the newly founded Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ultimately becoming a full professor in the Department of Medicine. The hospital later merged to become Bronx-Lebanon and he subsequently became Director of the Department of Medicine, a position he maintained until he retired in 1994.
During his career as a physician and scientist, he held several research grants and published numerous articles, as well as chapters in texts and edited several textbooks. He also served as Associate Editor and reviewer for a number of medical journals. He continued to publish original research in the specialized field of renal failure even after retiring, and maintained an active role in conferences and meetings on the subject. He was considered an inspiring teacher by his students and a thoughtful and sympathetic physician by his patients, as evidenced by awards such as Physician of the Year by the nurses in 1981 and Miracle-Maker by the hospital patients in 1985. He was cited that same year for his service by the Protestant Council of Churches in the Bronx.
He was an enthusiastic athlete: he loved tennis and played regularly well into his 80s. He also enjoyed sailing, especially the exhilaration of windsurfing. He loved to ice skate and roller skate, persisting as long as he was able to. He was a Boy Scout leader for several years in charge of hiking and camping particularly during the winter months, and was elected to the Order of the Arrow for his efforts. He was also a dedicated musician, playing guitar and singing folksongs for 70 years during the last 10 of which he taught basic and advanced finger-picking guitar in the Nauset Community adult education program. He was also a dedicated model railroader, and enjoyed building model buildings for his layouts.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sunantana, and their three cats. He has three children: Peter Cyrus of Barcelona, Spain, Nina Cohen of Salem, Massachusetts and Sally Cohen of Harrison, New York as well as three grandchildren, Samuel Barrows of Boston, Eli Barrows of Chicago, and Ione Barrows of New York.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.walterbcooke.net for the Cohen family.
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