- Date Of Birth: March 18, 1940
- Date Of Death: November 21, 2009
- State: Connecticut
Richard K. “Buzz” Goodstein, 69: Physician, Educator, Mentor, Scientific Ambassador
“Think, understand, feel, respond, pay forward.” – Buzz Goodstein
Richard K. “Buzz” Goodstein, born in Metuchen, New Jersey in 1940, was the son of Beatrice Goodstein (née Kuntz) and Sidney Goodstein, DMD. Dr. Goodstein was a physician with a long resume in the clinical world as well as the pharmaceutical industry and he served on the advisory board of many key national medical associations. He died after a four and a half year long battle with aggressive prostate cancer on Saturday, November 21, 2009, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 69 and lived in Milford, Connecticut.
Characterized by all those who knew him as “a generous and loving spirit,” Dr. Goodstein enjoyed sharing his many talents with his family and friends. He was known for his trademark laughter, fun-loving personality, intelligence, kindness, integrity, patience and sensitivity. Said one friend, “Buzz was the embodiment of positive energy, joyous spirit, thoughtful curiosity and a genuine belief that good intent in practice with others begets inspiring outcome.” A man of many interests, including golf, fishing, travel and photography, he was recognized as a highly accomplished musician (clarinet, saxophone). He had a deep affinity and passion for music, particularly jazz and big-band, and cherished his memories of marching with the MSU Spartans.
Dr. Goodstein graduated magna cum laude from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1957, where he was Cadet Captain Band Company. He attended the Honors College of Michigan State University on full music scholarship, graduating summa cum laude in 1961 with a BS degree in biological sciences. He earned his MD degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1965.
With NASA at the Naval Aerospace Medicine Institute, Dr. Goodstein conducted research regarding the effects of weightlessness and magnetic fields upon the Mercury Program astronauts and the new astronaut candidates. He completed his medical internship at Edward W. Sparrow Hospital, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. After marrying the former Barbara O’Neill in Pompton Plains, NJ in 1966, he then graduated from the US Navy Flight Surgeon School in Pensacola, Florida. Dr. Goodstein served on active duty in the US Regular Navy as Lieutenant Commander until 1970 in the positions of Senior Flight Surgeon and Senior Medical Officer. He was inspired by his experience as a Flight Surgeon with pilots suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to pursue a second medical specialty in psychiatry.
Relocating to “The Upper Valley” of Vermont, he completed his psychiatric residency training at Dartmouth College Medical School in Hanover, NH, where he served on the medical school faculty as Associate Professor of Psychiatry until 1979. Dr.
In 1979 Dr. Goodstein joined the renowned Carrier Clinic Foundation in Belle Mead, NJ, as the Deputy Medical Director and Senior Vice President of Education and Training, as well as the full-time CME Director. During his tenure there, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey and was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Goodstein authored over 30 scholarly works in the areas of clinical geriatrics and neurological illnesses, which made him a national recognized speaker in his field. Fulfilling one of his personal aspirations, he next created, produced and hosted the popular live weekly satellite TV CME series launched in 1984 entitled Mind and Body. The show was broadcast live via Hospital Satellite Network and PBS Adult learning Channel to over 1,800 hospitals and over 2,000 universities in the US and Canada.
Beginning in 1990, Dr. Goodstein’s professional focus moved to the pharmaceutical industry. He was Senior Director of Professional Information and Communications at Merck & Co., responsible for medical training and clinical information supporting Merck’s US customers and Merck employees concerning all marketed products and relevant diseases. He created and developed initiatives at Merck such as the Merck Science-Education-Technology centers in Houston and Denver, The Health Aging Initiative for managed care customers, and The Urban Health Alliance as a 501(c)(3) foundation linking the five major minority health national physician associations for phase IV research and education initiatives. In 1993 he created Medical Partnerships, a new department at Merck US Human Health, to address the significant changes then occurring in health care. Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation recruited Dr.
Soon after retiring from a distinguished career he learned that he had metastatic prostate cancer. Fitting his life work, he took this as an opportunity to educate himself and others about the disease. His fight against cancer was described by one colleague as “an example of style and grace in the face of adversity.” Dr.
Dr. Goodstein was viewed by people who knew him as an eternal optimist with an unending source of energy, a vivacious personality and a healthy sense of humor. Devoted to his wife, daughters, extended family and his large, eclectic network of friends and colleagues, he was deeply generous and took special joy in helping others.
He is survived by his wife Barbara and two daughters: Jennifer and Sara.
