In memoriam

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Dr. Derman established the CAP Joint Pathology Task Force to attempt to unite established organizations such as the CAP with smaller organizations that had appeared on the scene in the wake of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. In a December 2014 CAP TODAY column, then CAP president Gene N. Herbek, MD, highlighted Dr. Derman’s contributions in this area. “Dr. Derman came into office just as TEFRA was being implemented,” Dr. Herbek wrote. “It was our good fortune he took the helm when he did, because Dr. Derman’s political skills were pivotal during a challenging time. He recognized the external pressures we would soon confront and pressed for changes that made our leaders and advocates more nimble. Dr. Derman, who drove formation of a lobbying operation that has protected the interests of pathologists and patients for years, remains a role model.”

Nancy A. Young, MD, a member of the CAP Board of Governors, struck up a friendship with Dr. Derman after he saw her name on the 2018 CAP election ballot. Dr. Derman recognized Dr. Young as the daughter of a boyhood friend, who was also a pathologist, and reached out to her by email, says Dr. Young, chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine, Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia.

“He was so sharp, it was like speaking to a contemporary,” Dr. Young says. “He had an amazing memory and sense of humor.” She says Dr. Derman was a great source of information on the history and politics of the CAP and the principles of laboratory medicine. He recognized as early as the 1960s that the CAP needed to take the lead with proficiency testing and laboratory accreditation, inspecting, and testing standards, she says.

“I will always cherish his gift to me that I keep on my desk: an antique colorimetric scale used for measuring hemoglobin by comparing the color of dried blood on absorbent paper.”

Dr. Young says Dr. Derman died secondary to sudden development of hypotension that occurred during insertion of a third pacemaker wire through a previously clotted vessel. His family insisted on an autopsy “so that all can learn from his death,” says his daughter, Letty D. Thall, of Philadelphia.

Dr. Derman maintained a vibrant social life and enjoyed dinner out with friends a day or two before his procedure, Dr. Young says. “He did it on his own terms,” she says. “He left just as brilliant as he came in.”

Dr. Derman is survived by three daughters, one stepdaughter, eight grandchildren, and five great-​grandchildren.

—Amy Carpenter Aquino