Obituary for Martin S. Neff M.D.
Martin S. Neff M.D., of Pikesville, Maryland, passed away on Tuesday, December 20th, 2022 at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Dr. Joanne Neff (nee Moliver); daughters, Dr. Roni Neff (Dr. John McGready), Debra Neff (Aaron) Nathans, and Cantor Sally Neff (Dr. David) Greenberg; sister, Sandi (John) Packel; and grandchildren, Micah Neff-McGready, Emmet Neff-McGready, Lillian Nathans, Charles Nathans, and Andrew Greenberg. He was the son of Albert and Pearl Neff of Philadelphia.
Marty grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where as a child he worked in his father’s pharmacy, scooping ice cream and culling an impressive collection of vintage coins from the cash register. He attended Central High School in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was photo editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper and both photo editor and managing editor of the 1959 Record (yearbook.) He received his MD from New York Medical College and served as a lieutenant at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, followed by his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in nephrology at Hahnemann Medical College. In 1972 he was named a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
At Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY, he was Chief of Nephrology from 1974 until his retirement in 2005. A public hospital, Elmhurst primarily served patients with lower incomes and serious illnesses. Marty was known for his gifts in diagnosis, his caring, and his fierce advocacy for health services that would meet his patients’ needs. He also contributed research that built the growing field of nephrology. Most notably, he designed a wearable device (an artificial glomerulus) that could perform functions similar to dialysis. He chose not to patent this invention, preferring to place it in the public domain; versions are currently in use at hospitals globally. For these contributions, he was one of the youngest people to be appointed full professor at the Elmhurst-affiliated Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. At Mt. Sinai, he taught and mentored generations of medical residents.
Marty had many leadership roles. From 1973 until his retirement, he chaired the Research Committee at Elmhurst and was a member of the Mt. Sinai Institutional Review Board. He served the End Stage Renal Disease Network as president of two chapters, Chairman of its Medical Review Board, and a member of the national Board of Directors. He was on the Board of Trustees of the National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersey and Chair of its Medical Advisory Board. At Elmhurst, he was President of the Elmhurst Hospital Physicians Committee, President of the Faculty Practice Committee, and Chair of the Renal Quality Assurance Committee. He published voluminously.
Marty was an exemplary husband, father, brother, and grandfather. As a husband, he was affectionate, loyal, caring, generous, supportive, insightful, reliable, and funny. He always encouraged Joanne in all of her projects - be they crafts, academic endeavors, or organizational ones.
As a father, he believed in his three daughters and always expected them to do their best. He loved taking and developing pictures, and had his own darkroom in the basement, where he developed black-and-white and color photographs. He read The New York Times from cover to cover every day, except for the sports section. He loved cacti, and filled every window with prickly plants, which he expected everyone to be careful not to knock over. He loved and took great pride in his family: his wife of 59 years, his daughters, and five grandchildren, celebrating every achievement and agonizing over every concern. We will miss him forever.
Services will be at Bolton Street Synagogue, 212 W. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210, on Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.. Zoom information is available at the bottom of this memorial page. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be sent to the National Kidney Foundation online at kidney.org, or to the American Heart Association online at heart.org.
Marty grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where as a child he worked in his father’s pharmacy, scooping ice cream and culling an impressive collection of vintage coins from the cash register. He attended Central High School in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was photo editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper and both photo editor and managing editor of the 1959 Record (yearbook.) He received his MD from New York Medical College and served as a lieutenant at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, followed by his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in nephrology at Hahnemann Medical College. In 1972 he was named a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
At Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY, he was Chief of Nephrology from 1974 until his retirement in 2005. A public hospital, Elmhurst primarily served patients with lower incomes and serious illnesses. Marty was known for his gifts in diagnosis, his caring, and his fierce advocacy for health services that would meet his patients’ needs. He also contributed research that built the growing field of nephrology. Most notably, he designed a wearable device (an artificial glomerulus) that could perform functions similar to dialysis. He chose not to patent this invention, preferring to place it in the public domain; versions are currently in use at hospitals globally. For these contributions, he was one of the youngest people to be appointed full professor at the Elmhurst-affiliated Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. At Mt. Sinai, he taught and mentored generations of medical residents.
Marty had many leadership roles. From 1973 until his retirement, he chaired the Research Committee at Elmhurst and was a member of the Mt. Sinai Institutional Review Board. He served the End Stage Renal Disease Network as president of two chapters, Chairman of its Medical Review Board, and a member of the national Board of Directors. He was on the Board of Trustees of the National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersey and Chair of its Medical Advisory Board. At Elmhurst, he was President of the Elmhurst Hospital Physicians Committee, President of the Faculty Practice Committee, and Chair of the Renal Quality Assurance Committee. He published voluminously.
Marty was an exemplary husband, father, brother, and grandfather. As a husband, he was affectionate, loyal, caring, generous, supportive, insightful, reliable, and funny. He always encouraged Joanne in all of her projects - be they crafts, academic endeavors, or organizational ones.
As a father, he believed in his three daughters and always expected them to do their best. He loved taking and developing pictures, and had his own darkroom in the basement, where he developed black-and-white and color photographs. He read The New York Times from cover to cover every day, except for the sports section. He loved cacti, and filled every window with prickly plants, which he expected everyone to be careful not to knock over. He loved and took great pride in his family: his wife of 59 years, his daughters, and five grandchildren, celebrating every achievement and agonizing over every concern. We will miss him forever.
Services will be at Bolton Street Synagogue, 212 W. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210, on Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.. Zoom information is available at the bottom of this memorial page. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be sent to the National Kidney Foundation online at kidney.org, or to the American Heart Association online at heart.org.