Dr. Arnold P. Gold, who passed away January 23, 2018, at the age of 92, made a great impact on our world. Here are a collection of statements from those especially close to him and many who helped build The Arnold P. Gold Foundation from a singular idea to a nonprofit leader of humanism in healthcare that has touched hundreds of thousands of lives. We will continue to update this page.
If you would like to share your own thoughts about Dr. Gold, you are welcome to leave a public comment at the bottom of this tribute or send your stories to info@gold-foundation.org.
Arnold Gold was a man possessed — possessed of goodness, brilliance, kindness, love, and above all, boundless empathy. He cared and cared deeply. More important still, he taught us all how to care deeply for one another. His place among the pantheon of caring, humanistic physicians is unexcelled and eternal.
— Jordan J. Cohen, MD, Past Chairman of the Board
Arnold was a true pioneer, an inspirational leader, and a role model. He lived and breathed humanism in medicine. Through the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, he helped to change medical education in the country by recognizing the importance of humanism. Arnold showed that a powerful idea can bring about change. We will miss him greatly, but we will carry on his legacy.
— George E. Thibault, MD, Board Member
Arnold was a humanitarian hero to so many—to his patients and their parents; to his students; his residents; and his co-physicians. He was beloved by his family and friends. His words were revered by the members of his namesake foundation and by the medical community at large. On a personal level, our family will be forever grateful for all that Arnold has taught us about empathy, caring, compassion and the human touch. We have lost a friend, and a mentor in the most important things of life. Our deepest condolences go out to Sandra and her entire family.
— Lisa and Cary Kravet; Lisa is a Board Member
One of the greatest contributions Arnold Gold made to healthcare was to expand our vocabulary. Arnold often used the word “love” when describing his feelings toward his patients and students. He would remind us about the statue of Aphrodite in the courtyard of Hippocrates. It takes courage to insist that love belongs squarely in the center of the objective, scientific, sometimes hard and harsh world of medicine and Arnold’s example helps to make all of us braver.
— Elizabeth Gaufberg, MD, Director
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Research Institute
Arnold was a shining example of the humanism he espoused his entire life. Both as a person and as an exemplary clinician, he treated every patient, every colleague, every fellow human being with great compassion and empathy. We are honored to carry on his legacy.
— Richard Sheerr, Chairman
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Board of Trustees
It was only in the last six years of his beautiful life that I came to know Arnold Gold. He and his wife, Sandra, who together founded The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, were a storied love match. Of all the impressions I’ve drawn from his talks at White Coat Ceremonies across the country, I will miss his chronicle of their continuing love story the most. And if there is one word that this icon of humanism, of patient care, of compassion and empathy, embodies above all else, it is ‘love.’ We mourn for him, but as we celebrate his unique life, we can all carry his legacy forward in love.
Richard I. Levin, MD, President and CEO
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation
