The Department of Medicine is deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of one of our former faculty members, Dr. Alvin Newman.
Dr. Newman died peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 8, 2023, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto after spending the day surrounded by his loving family. He was clever and witty as always, and endlessly reassuring to his family.
Dr. Newman is one of the giants of the University of Toronto division of the gastroenterology and hepatology community. He joined the Department of Medicine in 1973, having completed his training at the University of Pittsburgh and Johns Hopkins University, before completing a research fellowship at the Medical Research Council Gastroenterology Unit at the Central Middlesex Hospital in London. He also served a two-year stint in the U.S. Army as a medical corpsman, attaining the rank of captain.
While Dr. Newman originally made his impact through his research on the pathophysiology of campylobacter infections, he was also renowned as an outstanding teacher, astute clinician and an unparalleled polymath who would hold court on current events, the world of entertainment and on all matters political. He was responsible for a major redesign of the undergraduate medical curriculum and served as the chair of the pre-clerkship program. Dr. Newman had an incredible presence as a teacher and conversationalist, and his stories and memories will continue to live on among his protégées and colleagues for many years to come.
His lifetime of achievement was recognized in 2012 when he was named the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology’s Distinguished Service Awardee.
When Dr. Newman was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2022, he bravely chose to decline treatment. For the next year, he travelled, went to his beloved operas at the Toronto Opera House, attended Broadway shows - especially rousing musicals to which he sang along - and attended synagogue regularly. He also pursued woodturning, a late-in-life passion and talent that he so enjoyed, working alongside his friends.
Dr. Newman is survived by his wife Ruby, his three children Michael, Kurt, and Amy, and his five grandchildren, Leo, Noah, Ezra, Jesse and Daniella.