Edward Carl Rosenow III, MD, Master FCCP
November 2, 1934 - December 21, 2021
We remember our close friend and colleague
On Monday, January 3, 1972, in Rochester, Minnesota, the weather was as expected - a high of 20 F and a low of -50 F. At 7:30 that morning, a group of three young physicians, residents in internal medicine on a month-long rotation in the inpatient pulmonary ward in one of the Mayo Clinic hospitals, was awaiting the arrival of the staff consultant to begin the rounds. It was the very first day of his first-year residency at Mayo for one of the residents. He had applied for residency training to begin in July but, instead, accepted Mayo’s offer to join the residency program 6 months earlier, in January – in Minnesota. That new resident was me. The pulmonary consultant had a friendly and disarming demeanor and gentle visage. He introduced himself to me with a smile, saying, “Welcome to Mayo. I am Ed Rosenow. Let me know if I can be of help in your training.”
Thus began my almost half-century’ relationship with Ed. During my residency in internal medicine and fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine, he was a constant and dependable fount of wisdom and knowledge. His daily lectures with chest x-rays after the morning rounds were legendary. By one estimate, he had collected over 4,500 chest x-rays to teach. These were hard copies and heavy to carry around. Ed lugged them under his arms daily for the lectures (there were no digital radiology or CT or MRI scanners then).
ACCP
Dr. Udaya B. S. Prakash
Ed was voted the “teacher of the year” every year for countless years. He was my first teacher in bronchoscopy and esophagoscopy. At that time, the division of pulmonary diseases was known as the division of thoracic diseases, and consultants in thoracic diseases performed bronchoscopy and rigid esophagoscopy.
Ed exemplified the best in compassion, amicability, collegiality, thoughtfulness, and a caring personality. In addition to possessing superb clinical acumen, he volunteered in local medical clinics for the less fortunate. In my mind, it is not too farfetched to describe Ed as “A man for all seasons.”*
Among Ed’s many professional accomplishments, his dedication and loyalty to the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and the CHEST Foundation remain unsurpassed. In the years before and after he became the President of CHEST, Ed spent countless hours rewriting the ‘constitution’ of the organization, its bylaws. Many of the current committee structures, rules, and regulations are based on Ed’s work. During a meeting of the regents, one regent exclaimed, ”ACCP is Rosenow and Rosenow is ACCP!”
Ed was a founding member of the CHEST Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the College. Ed’s constant encouragement of young pulmonologists to participate in CHEST surely resulted in a significant increase in their membership. He was the ceaseless force behind my work and deep involvement with CHEST and the CHEST Foundation.
Describing my long association with Ed transcends this note. Suffice it to say that my being named the first Edward W. and Betty Knight Scripps Professor of Medicine in Honor of Edward C. Rosenow III, MD at Mayo Medical School is the greatest honor that I fondly cherish. I like to think that Ed strived for nearly a half-century to help me be a good person and a good doctor. I often question myself if I have met his goal. This question will linger in my mind for the rest of my life.
Udaya B. S. Prakash, MD, Master FCCP, Rochester, MN
Past President, American College of Chest Physicians (2002-2003)
*A man for all seasons: A man who is ready to cope with any contingency and whose behavior is always appropriate to every occasion. The English grammarian Robert Whittington (1480-1553) applied this description to the English statesman and scholar Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), and Robert Bolt used it as the title of his 1960 play about More.
My association with Dr. Rosenow dates back to 2002. I was attending the CHEST annual meeting, and I saw Dr. Rosenow walking toward me. He came up and said, “Hi. My name is Ed Rosenow. What is yours?” “Suhail Raoof,” I answered. Taking me aside, we spent almost a half-hour discussing my family, where I work, my career goals, and how the College could help me achieve some of those goals. His unassuming nature, humility, and sincere desire to help rang out loud and clear.
That day proved to be a turning point in my life. For the next almost 17 years, Ed and I set up monthly calls to connect. Each time, he was eager to listen and know what was happening in my life—the good, the bad, the important, and the mundane. My problems would become his problems; solutions to my problems would become joint solutions. He guided me on my path to leadership with CHEST, culminating in my presidency.
ACCP
Dr. Suhail Raoof
Ed taught thousands of his colleagues the true meaning and power of mentorship. Early in his career, he realized that true happiness comes from helping and guiding others. Dr. Rosenow experienced a sense of genuine happiness and pride in witnessing the accomplishments of his friends and trainees. His gentle ways, unparalleled kindness, and modesty made him the quintessential role model, who one and all tried to emulate.
Aptly stated by Dr. John Studdard, FCCP, one of his students at Mayo Clinic, “Ed Rosenow was the finest doctor I have ever known, but an even better person. He balanced a great intellect and curiosity with great humility, was an incredible teacher, educator, and mentor, and all of this with a special sense of humor.”
Among his many positive traits, Ed possessed two qualities that played very important roles in his life— inquisitiveness and perseverance. In the early 1960s, there was a paucity of information on drug-induced lung disease. He embraced this gap in medical knowledge, resolved to fill it, and, for the next almost 50 years, Dr. Rosenow extensively researched, published, and lectured on drug-related lung injury.
Ed felt strongly that a good pulmonologist had to be a skilled chest radiologist. He was instrumental in introducing “Chest Imaging for the Pulmonologist” sessions at the annual CHEST meetings. With his enduring cataloging of consultation cases and collection of teaching file chest x-rays, it is no wonder that he amassed one of the best teaching resources, including some of the most rare lung conditions.
Ed was a visionary. He envisioned CHEST to be a closely knit “family of professionals,” united in the desire to provide compassionate care of the highest order to patients and help each colleague accomplish their goals and aspirations. During his CHEST presidency, he and Dr. Bart Chernow realized the importance of having a philanthropic arm of the College that would support worthy projects through fundraising. Soon after the establishment of the CHEST Foundation, he became its President and then Chair.
Dr. Rosenow’s hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to professional and social organizations he served earned him the highest of accolades and honors. He had the rare distinction of being recognized as a Master by two professional organizations—CHEST and the American College of Physicians. Awards of the highest order were showered upon him by the Mayo Clinic, including establishing the Mayo Fellows Hall of Fame of Outstanding Teachers. Several endowed professorships and honors are named after him. The award he cherished most was the Karis Award (karis meaning “to care” in Greek). When I asked him how he felt to be the recipient of so many awards, he blushed and said, “Gee, there were plenty others who deserved them more than me. I was just doing my job.”
To everyone he met, Ed emphasized the importance of the “culture of caring and giving.” He taught his students that medicine is not a profession; it is a way of life. It is as much an art as it is a science. He reiterated his platinum rule to “Take care of every patient like you would want a member of your family cared for.”
Today, thousands of his students, including me, are deeply indebted to Dr. Rosenow for the impactful and profound role he played in our lives and for teaching us the core values that really matter. He left an indelible mark on our profession and our outlook. He redefined our responsibilities to our patients and colleagues. In his own quiet and effective way, Ed nurtured and inspired us to dream, think, persevere, and accomplish. His legacy will live on as we try to emulate his teachings, exceptional qualities, and humanistic approach. He will be missed greatly.
“His life was gentle, and the elements mixed so well in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world,” ‘This was a man’.” Shakespeare
Suhail Raoof, MD, Master FCCP, New York, NY
Past President, American College of Chest Physicians (2011-2012)