April 14, 2006

In memoriam:
David Ross Calkins, MD

David Ross Calkins, MD, of MGH Primary Care, died April 7 after a long illness. Calkins graduated from Princeton University in 1970 and went on to earn his medical degree from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and his masters in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1975. He completed his postgraduate training in internal medicine at the University of Washington and Beth Israel Hospital in Boston.

From 1978 to 1981, Calkins (right) served as a White House fellow and then deputy executive secretary in the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 1981 to 1991, he was a member of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel when he became assistant professor of Medicine at HMS. He then served as chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and medical director of Ambulatory Care Services at Deaconess Hospital in Boston. During this time, he also served as assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 1996, Calkins moved to the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where he served as associate dean for Primary Care.

In 1999, Calkins returned to HMS as associate professor of medicine and associate dean for clinical programs and joined the MGH Medical Group, where he practiced internal medicine. In 2003, he became a George W. Merck fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and assisted in developing the institute's "100,000 Lives" campaign, a nationwide initiative to prevent avoidable deaths.

"David was a quiet man, but his accomplishments and evident commitment to service spoke volumes about his character," says Albert Mulley, MD, a colleague and friend.

A memorial service is being planned. Contributions may be sent to the IHI at 20 University Road, seventh floor, Cambridge, MA, 02138.