In Memoriam

Most of his former students and colleagues have stories about the late Bernard Panner, MD (Res ’61), but one in particular involves a doughnut.

David Hicks (MD ’83), was a second-year medical student in Panner’s pathology class at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. As he opened the small blue book, he was met by a red line drawn through his answer to an essay question, marked 50 percent.

“Mr. Hicks,” Panner had written. “If the answer to this question was a doughnut, you would have eloquently described the hole and missed the dough completely.”

Today, Hicks, who says Panner’s teaching and mentorship greatly influenced his decision to become a pathologist, is just one example of many lives he touched during his long and fruitful career spanning nearly six decades at the medical school. Panner died April 20 at the age of 93.

An Ohio native, he was born to Jewish immigrants and came to Rochester after the Korean War, having served as a Navy ship doctor. He was chief pathology resident at Strong Memorial in the late 1950s and stayed for the rest of his career. He specialized in renal pathology, became professor emeritus in 1998, and fully retired in 2017.

Panner is known for being the first pathologist in the Rochester region to use electron microscopy (EM) to examine renal biopsies, using high-powered magnification to diagnose and guide treatment for kidney diseases. This was cutting-edge technology, and these contributions paved the way for more precise patient diagnoses and treatment to this day.

“Bernie was among the first generation of subspecialty renal pathologists,” says Bruce Goldman, MD, who is a renal pathologist at URMC and a longtime colleague. “I don’t think I have known any renal pathologist who was more informed, thoughtful, disciplined or caring in his diagnostic approach.”

Outside of work, Goldman said Panner, a cellist, recruited him to play in the Penfield Symphony Orchestra. Panner was an avid reader and lifelong learner with a passion for history— especially Talmud and Jewish history. He and wife Molly, who had three sons and 10 grandchildren, hosted many Shabbat dinners at their home in Brighton.

Panner was a wine connoisseur and took pleasure in sharing wines from his personal cellar. “Although he did say more than once that his principal criterion for judging wine was whether or not it conformed to the shape of the glass,” says Goldman. “I really can’t fully express the importance Dr. Panner had in my life, both professionally and personally. I treasure my memories of the time I spent with him.”

While students or others who had heard of his reputation could find him intimidating, those who worked with him say that under the seemingly stern exterior was an incredibly kind, brilliant mentor—who loved to crack a witty joke. He regularly took his staff to lunch and invited their families out to dinner each year.

Steve Coleman, who worked as Panner’s lab technician for nearly 30 years, says he treated everyone with equal politeness and courtesy, no matter if you were a physician or a janitor.

“He was just someone whom you looked up to and respected because of the way he acted toward everyone,” says Coleman. “The world needs more Dr. Panners in it.”

Karen Vanderbilt, who was the technical specialist in the EM lab leading up to Panner’s retirement, agrees. She remembers his white tea kettle, and unpretentious brown bag lunches he took to work each day. “He just expected the best from you and had high expectations,” says Vanderbilt. “He would include me if he found something interesting in a patient. He was the one I learned it all from.”

While his professional accomplishments were many, he was first and foremost a proud father and grandfather. Vanderbilt recalls, “His family came first, and his job was a very close second.” -Bethany Bushen Bernard Panner, MD

Word has reached us of the passing of the following alumni and friends.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry expresses its sympathy to their loved ones. (August 1, 2021 to May 1, 2022)

John A. Frantz (MD ‘46) Donald Huene (MD ’59) Daniel J. O’Donovan (PhD ’64) John (Jack) C. Peachey (MD ’54) Rosemary Utz (MD ’79)