Internationally renowned physician-scientist and former chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology Carl J. Pauerstein, M.D., died Nov. 21, at the age of 73.
One of the original faculty members recruited when the Health Science Center’s School of Medicine opened its doors in 1968, Dr. Pauerstein’s drive to advance the school has been widely recognized. His career achievement was acknowledged in 1986, when he was appointed to the Humana Foundation Distinguished Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“Dr. Pauerstein and I were very close,” said Robert S. Schenken, M.D., professor and chairman of obstetrics and gynecology and the Humana Foundation Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. “I knew him for about 30 years and trained under him. He was a true mentor and friend – a determined individual with a big heart. He will be missed by all.”
Dr. Pauerstein served the university in many capacities, including a term as chair of the University Physicians Group board of directors. His many external activities included a term in office as president of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.
Dr. Pauerstein’s research support included grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Meadows Foundation, the Moody Foundation and the World Health Organization. One of his main topics of study was tubal ovum transport – the process of how the egg moves down the fallopian tube. His significant contribution to reproductive research is recognized worldwide.
“We will truly miss Dr. Pauerstein’s perseverance, wit and counsel,” Dr. Schenken said. “He will continue to be recognized for the generations of physicians and scientists that he trained over the years, and his professional legacy will live on in these individuals.”
Dr. Pauerstein was born May 31, 1932, in New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Lehigh University and a medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College, both in Philadelphia. He completed an internship at Hahnemann and in 1963 finished a four-year residency in ob-gyn at King’s County Hospital in Brooklyn (State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center) and also served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1966, he was certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Rajeshwar Rao Tekmal, Ph.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of reproductive research at the Health Science Center, was named to the Carl J. Pauerstein Professorship in Reproductive Research this year.
“Dr. Pauerstein was the chairman when I was at the Health Science Center previously, and I am honored to have the professorship that bears his name,” Dr. Tekmal said. Dr. Tekmal was a faculty member at the Health Science Center from 1989 to 1995, when he moved to Emory University in Atlanta. He rejoined the Health Science Center in 2003.
Dr. Pauerstein is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marie Louise Pauerstein; three sons, Jonathan Pauerstein and wife Valerie, Michael Pauerstein and Joshua Pauerstein; one sister, Leah Margolis and husband Bill; and three grandchildren, Philip, Ben and Rachael Pauerstein.
Dr. Pauerstein retired from the Health Science Center in 2002. Condolences to all who had the honor of knowing him.
