REMEMBERING DR. LAUREN BATTAT GERSON (1964-2017) THE OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES OF THE COLLEGE MOURN THE DEATH OF A VIBRANT, TALENTED AND WELLRESPECTED ACG TRUSTEE, DR. LAUREN B. GERSON. She will long be remembered for her radiant enthusiasm, and especially for the “grace, professionalism, collegiality, and uncommon good sense,” noted by one of her many friends. Dr. Gerson passed away on July 21, 2017, after battling metastatic melanoma. She was a gastroenterologist at Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, CA, who was elected to the ACG Board of Trustees in 2015. An Exceptional Human Being “Lauren was an exceptional researcher, author, and human being. We will miss her greatly,” reflected ACG President Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG. ACG President-Elect Irving M. Pike, MD, FACG, and his wife, Randy, attended Dr. Gerson’s funeral on July 26, 2017, in Burlingame, CA. Dr. Pike shared, “Not surprisingly it was standing room only. There were beautiful tributes to Lauren the person, the wife, the mother, the scholar, the researcher, the caring physician, the figure skater, the musician, the skier, the loyal friend and more. We found that we only knew some of Lauren, and I am sad that I did not have time to know more about this wonderful person.” Lauren Gerson received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her medical degree at SUNY - Buffalo School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency at California Pacific Medical Center, and her gastroenterology fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. She served as a fellow and faculty member at Stanford Hospital for over 15 years. In recent years, she practiced at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Dr. Gerson was a highly respected and accomplished clinician and researcher who led the ACG Practice Parameters Committee from 2011-2015. During her tenure, she oversaw the publication of numerous ACG clinical guidelines. Nicholas J. Shaheen, MD, MPH, FACG, preceded Dr. Gerson as Chair of Practice Parameters, and remembers her impact: “In the key roles she held for the College over the years, as chair of the Practice Parameters Committee and as a member of the Board of Trustees, she inspired many young scholarly physicians, and motivated them to be future leaders of our profession. She instilled a new degree of rigor in the development of ACG’s guidelines, making these documents even more useful to the clinician.” Among her significant and noteworthy contributions to the educational excellence of ACG’s programs, she served as Co-Director of the ACG Postgraduate Course in 2014. Seth A. Gross, MD, FACG, had the opportunity to work with Dr. Gerson when they planned the course. He recalled, “I remember thinking after our first phone call, I am working with someone who is passionate, driven, and who loves what she does. Lauren was smart, well-rounded, and her energy was contagious—inspiring everyone around her to continue to advance our field.”
Lauren B. Gerson, MD, MSc, FACG
Dr. Gerson also made noteworthy contributions in many roles for the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, where she was active as a Senior Associate Editor of the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. ASGE President Dr. Karen L. Woods noted, “She has accomplished so very much in her short life and has touched many with her knowledge, teaching skills and warm personality.” As her many friends in gastroenterology carry on her legacy of clinical excellence and dedication to the GI profession, they will continue to be inspired not only by Dr. Gerson’s professional accomplishments, but also by her joy in her family and her graceful courage while facing adversity. As her friend Dr. Pearl Yee of San Francisco said, “Lauren was the best of us. She excelled at everything with a fierce intellect and unwavering smile.” Dr. Gerson is survived by her husband, Bill, a lawyer at Apple, Inc., her children, Stephanie, Jackie and Andrew, her parents, and siblings. READ Dr. Gerson’s obituary: goo.gl/3cqwwd
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