Columbia Mourns the Loss of Dr. Allan Rosenfield

October 12, 2008

Dear fellow member of the Columbia community,

I am very sorry to say that Dr. Allan Rosenfield -- Dean Emeritus of the Mailman School of Public Health, Professor of Population and Family Health and of Obstetrics and Gynecology -- passed away this morning after a courageous battle with ALS.

Allan was a leading scholar in women's health, a pioneer in addressing AIDS/HIV, an advocate and caregiver for the poor and disadvantaged everywhere, a teacher to everyone who came near him, a builder of institutions and especially of the Mailman School of Public Health where he served as Dean for 22 remarkable years, and a dear friend to so many of us.

His commitment to improving the lives of people all across the world, from our own neighborhoods of upper Manhattan to the rural villages of sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, was the personification of everything we strive to achieve as a University community. Columbia will miss him and the world will miss him. We send our condolences to his wife, Clare, and his entire family.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger
President