Eli A. Friedman (born in Brooklyn, New York, April 9, 1933) is an American

nephrologist Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

Education

Friedman attended

New Utrecht High School New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education under District 20 and serves students of grades 9 to 12. A tot ...

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, and the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center where he received an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

degree in 1957. In 1957, Friedman married Mildred Barrett-Lennard with whom he fathered three daughters: Amy Louise, Rebecca Alica, and Sara Jo. He served as Intern, Nephrology Fellow, and Senior Medical Resident at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...

from 1957 to 1961. After two years as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer for the

United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant s ...

's Communicable Disease Center, from 1961 to 1963, Friedman returned to SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York, where he is currently a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Medicine. Dr. Friedman was Chief of the Division of Nephrology in SUNY Downstate's Department of Medicine until 2009.

Career

In 1976, Friedman invented the " Suitcase Kidney," a portable dialysis machine scaled to fit a metal attache case that permits dialysis patients to be mobile performing their hemodialysis off site in hotel rooms or on ships. By being able to dialyze themselves, patients gained a large degree of freedom from large, centralized treatment centers enhancing their life quali

Exceptionally high liability insurance rates restricted the broad utilization of the device which still is limited in application. Mildred died in 1997. Following his wife's death, Friedman's research focused on kidney failure. Friedman has performed clinical studies in the course of diabetes and high blood pressure. His work has been recognized by the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

which conferred the distinction of terming him a "Master." He received two honorary degrees (

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

, India and

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

, New York) and has been made a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

in the United Kingdom. Having edited nine books and published over 520 peer reviewed papers, Friedman is a recognized authority in nephrology, serving as president of several scientific societies, including the American and International Societies for Artificial Organs and The International Society for Geriatric Nephrology and Urology. Friedman has been consistently listed as a "Best Doctor" in New York and the National and International Who's Who. Both the International Society for Hemodialysis and the Alumni Association of Downstate Medical Center awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards to Friedman who celebrated his 79th Birthday in 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Eli 1933 births Living people American nephrologists Brooklyn College alumni Harvard Medical School people Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians State University of New York faculty SUNY Downstate Medical Center alumni New Utrecht High School alumni