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Memorial |
Houston, TX 77030
Jack Edeiken, a dedicated educator, superb clinical radiologist, and mentor
to many, passed away at his home in Houston, TX, on April 30, 2002. He was
born in Philadelphia, and his roots were deeply embedded in the medical
traditions of that city. Both parents were physicians, as were a brother and
an uncle. All attended medical schools in Philadelphia. His father, Louis
Edeiken, began a career in radiology in 1916, 7 years before the death of
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen.
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Jack's exposure to radiology began at age 8. His father encouraged his interest in "shadowgraphs" by keeping the youngster at his side as he interpreted films. As years progressed and the senior Edeiken developed some physical disabilities, his strapping son assumed the responsibility of transporting a portable radiographic unit to the homes of bedfast patients.
Dr. Edeiken received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, where he also won a varsity letter in basketball. His athletic talents were considerably above average; subsequently, he was in much demand in a semiprofessional basketball league that thrived in Philadelphia.
In 1947, after graduation from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he served an internship at Mt. Sinai Hospital (where his father was chief of radiology) and then began his radiology training at the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Eugene P. Pendergrass. On completion of his residency in 1951, he served a tour of duty in France with the United States Army, returning to the university in 1953 as an instructor in radiology.
In 1958, Philip Hodes, a professor of radiology at the university, accepted the chair at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and asked Edeiken to join him. This association was to culminate in Edeiken's succeeding his mentor as professor and chairman in 1971. During his tenure, Edeiken did much to expand and modernize the department while embellishing the tradition of academic excellence established by his predecessor. He became Professor Emeritus in 1986 and today his portrait, presented by his staff and former students, occupies a prominent place among those faculty members honored for major contributions to the school.
Retirement held little attraction for him, and shortly after leaving Jefferson, he accepted an appointment as professor of radiology and chief of the section of musculoskeletal radiology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, a post that he held until his final retirement in 1996. Many institutions were eager to have him join their faculties and M. D. Anderson considered itself fortunate to have attracted a gifted physician.
Edeiken was active in many organizations as a volunteer or consultant, including the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End Results Reporting, and the Instructional Course Committee of the Radiological Society of North America. He also served as a member of the United States Senate Expert Review Panel, Consultant to the Committee on Health and Welfare of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, the Public Health Service of the Department of Health Education and Welfare, and the Surgeon General of the United States Air Force.
Most significant were his efforts on behalf of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Board of Radiology (ABR). He was a member of multiple ACR committees, the bulk of which were related to continuing education. These included the Committee on Professional Self-Evaluation and Continuing Education, the Committee on ACR Symposia, the Committee on Systematized Refresher Courses, and the Division on Postgraduate Education in Diagnostic Radiology. He chaired most of these committees and, from 1982 to 1988, was chairman of the Commission on Diagnostic Radiology and a member of the board of chancellors of the ACR. Throughout these years of committee membership, he was a consistent advocate of the need for the ACR to produce quality educational programs for its membership, and, in 1990, he was awarded the Gold Medal in appreciation of his endeavors.
Of all his many activities, those related to the ABR were probably closest to his heart. A trustee from 1981 until 1993, he was appointed chairman of the Diagnostic Examination Committee in 1987, a responsibility that included the structure and supervision of both the written and oral examinations. Arguably these educational responsibilities were some of the most significant to which a radiologist can aspire, and his commitment to these tasks was complete. No detail was too small and no effort too great to produce fair, yet searching, examinations for board candidates. Many exceptional individuals have contributed to the evolution of the ABR, but few have exceeded his dedication to its objectives.
Over the years, Dr. Edeiken was an active member of more than 14 professional societies and served as a consulting editor or editor for eight major journals. He and two other internationally known radiologists, Harold G. Jacobson and Sir Ronald O. Murray, cofounded the International Skeletal Society and its organ, the Journal of Skeletal Radiology. Edeiken was president of the society from 1982 to 1984 and editor-in-chief of the journal from 1975 to 1984. In 1985, in recognition of his major contributions, he was named Editor-in-Chief Emeritus and awarded the Gold Medal of the society.
Despite the press of his clinical, teaching, and organizational activities, he did not neglect the academician's need to publish. He is the author of Roentgen Diagnosis of Diseases of Bone (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1989), a magnum opus that has achieved widespread acclaim and is now in its fourth edition. This text has been supplemented by a monograph, Roentgenologic Atlas of the Hand and Wrist in Systemic Disease (Williams & Wilkins, 1973) coauthored by Dr. Morrison E. Kricun. He also produced numerous instructional course syllabi and more than 100 scientific articles, most of which dealt with various aspects of his primary interest, orthopedic radiology.
Dr. Edeiken's dedication to his profession was only one aspect of a multifaceted individual. He played the cello for 4 years in Leopold Stokowski's All American Youth Orchestra and abandoned the instrument only when the travel of the orchestra interfered with his schooling. His sense of humor was keen and his interests varied. He was a voracious reader, an avid sports fan, a sometime aircraft pilot, a lover of fine cars, and an astute poker player. The list could go on, but he was more than a dilettante in each. His oft-times esoteric knowledge of these and other subjects was a frequent source of wonderment to his friends and associates.
Dr. Edeiken's father and role model was a dignified and forthright man who detested sham and chicanery. He was admired for his work ethic, his thoroughness, and frankness. Aside from his profession and family, the senior Edeiken's major interests were in medical education and helping undergraduates. Clearly, Jack was his father's son. He had a clear perception of what he considered right and just and an unswerving loyalty to family and friends. Plainspoken, sometimes blunt, he was nonetheless a sympathetic and compassionate man. Medical students, residents, and young faculty gravitated to him as a counselor and mentor; his interest was genuine and helpful and did much to enhance his preferred role as a teacher and clinician. His "eye" was legendary. The speed and accuracy with which he read films and the amount of information he extracted from them gave many a young radiologist some second thoughts about the efficacy of "hightech" procedures.
Dr. Edeiken is survived by his wife, Antoinette; brother, Stanley; three daughters, Beth, Wendy, and Nannette; sons, Yale and Louis; and nine grandchildren. True to the family tradition, Beth, the first daughter, is a radiologist and member of the staff of The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Beth shares her father's interest in skeletal radiology, and the opportunity to work together was long anticipated and cherished. His daughter Nanette is married to a radiologist who was trained by her father.
Because his children have made him a grandfather nine times over, the association of the Edeiken family with the practice of medicine will probably continue well into the future. Two grandsons are enrolled in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Jack was justly proud of his family and, when pressed, would even tell you about a cousin who is a member of the Dail Eireann, the House of Representatives of the Irish Parliament.
One of Edeiken's major goals was to fulfill his father's expectations. He was successful many times over. In giving substance to his father's dreams, he brought honor to himself, his family, and his profession. He was a unique man in the finest sense of the word and will be sorely missed by those who had the good fortune to share his life and times.
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