Daniel Roses

A surgeon, researcher and educator, Dr. Roses was born in the Bronx on April 11th, 1945, to Dr. Albert Roses and Mrs. Rosalind Roses and was the younger brother of Judith (Greenwald). A gifted painter in his youth, he attended Music and Art High School and graduated from Columbia College in 1965 with a degree in Art History. The next year he entered medical school at the New York University School of Medicine, an institution with which he would be associated with for close to 60 years. In 1967 while doing a rotation in Obstetrics, he met Helene Levy, a Bellevue nurse. They would fall in love and get married.

After finishing medical school in 1969, Dr. Roses trained in surgery at the New York University Bellevue Medical Center, completing his residency in 1974. Following that, he served on active duty for two years as Lieutenant Commander with the United States Navy. He returned to the New York University School of Medicine as a Clinical Fellow of the American Cancer Society. Over the subsequent five decades he established himself as an unparalleled clinician, teacher and researcher. He was an expert surgeon and cared for thousands of patients with skin cancer, breast cancer and thyroid and parathyroid disease. He was an authority on the management of cutaneous malignant melanoma and breast cancer; this expertise led to the publication of two major textbooks "Breast Cancer" and "Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma." He was a prolific investigator and contributed substantially to the evolution of contemporary approaches to the management of breast cancer and melanoma skin cancer. He authored or co-authored over 275 published manuscripts and was a Principal Investigator of the National Cancer Institute Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial that led to the adoption of sentinel node biopsy as a standard of care in the treatment of melanoma and breast cancer. His probing intellect and excellence as a communicator made him a uniquely effective educator of medical students and surgical trainees for which he was recognized with the Great Teacher Award of New York University and was a five time recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He was also an avid student of medical and surgical history and was a singular authority on the history of Bellevue Hospital.

Dr. Roses’ career was distinguished by his seminal achievements, longevity and his unparalleled commitment to his home institution. He received the Solomon A. Berson Alumni Achievement Award in Clinical Science of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the Excellence in Medicine Award of the Israel Cancer Research Fund, the Physician of the Year Award of the Rambam Medical Center, the Humanitarian Award of the Melanoma Research Foundation, the Manhattan Breast Cancer Awareness Award, and the Gender Equity Award of the American Medical Women's Association. He served as President of the New York University School of Medicine Alumni Association and President of the Society of Alumni of Bellevue Hospital. He directed the Shifrin Myers Breast Cancer Discovery Fund and the Cancer Surgery Research Fund. He served as New York State Chairman of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and as President of the New York Surgical Society. He was listed annually in America's Top Doctors, Top Doctors for Cancer, Top Doctors New York Metro Area (Castle Connolly), and New York Magazine Top Doctors. Notably, Dr. Roses continued to see patients until shortly before his death.

Dr. Roses was deeply dedicated to his Jewish faith and served as a trustee of the Park East Synagogue. He was a fixture in the cultural centers of New York and his passion for classical music was a source of joy and comfort throughout his life. He considered his greatest accomplishment his fifty-four year marriage to his beloved wife Helene who survives him. He was a loving father to his children, Arthur (Amy), Robert (Shiamin) and Rebecca (Travis), all of whom survive him, and was a revered “Pop pop” to his six grandchildren, Benjamin and Elisa Roses, Leonard and Josephine Roses, and Ruby and Luna Harrison, each of whom filled him with his greatest joy.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to Park East Synagogue and the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Dr. Daniel Roses passed away on July 25, 2025, at the age of 80.

A funeral service will be held at Park East Synagogue, located at 163 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10021, on July 28, 2025, at 11:00 am.

The committal will take place at New Montefiore Cemetery, located at 1180 Wellwood Ave, West Babylon, NY, 11704, on July 28, 2025, at approximately 1:30 pm.