Peter Rosen was larger than life, extraordinary in vision, language, and character. His work inspired, guided, and shaped our specialty through lectures and writing, and more directly as a mentor to countless students, residents, and practicing physicians who carry on his passion and vision for emergency medicine. His productivity—books, articles, editorials, lectures, and national leadership—defined the specialty of our field as we know it, and many justly consider him to have been the “father of emergency medicine.” His appointment as the first emergency physician to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences was an appropriate recognition of a life devoted to our specialty.
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ACEP Now: Vol 38 – No 12 – December 2019I knew Peter—as he always insisted on being called, never “Dr. Rosen” except with patients—my entire life. He was my uncle and became a father figure to me. Later, he was my mentor, as a student and during residency, and finally a colleague.
I am lucky to have visited Peter a week before his passing. Over steaks and Diet Cokes, we shared stories about the early days of emergency medicine. We worried over threats to our specialty: ED crowding and the commoditization of our physician colleagues by large corporate groups. He cared deeply for emergency medicine and felt that his mission was not over. At the time of his death, he had recently decided to record podcasts that would have covered the history of emergency medicine and also tried to help guide its future.
Peter Rosen was born to Jewish parents on Aug. 3, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, where he was raised. He described tearing through the Italian neighborhoods on his bike, armed with a bicycle chain to fight off kids in from other neighborhoods, and lying on the subway tracks while the trains rolled over as a dare with his friends. Perhaps fittingly, he was a devoted fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was particularly fond of Nathan’s hot dogs in Coney Island and steaks at Peter Luger’s.
Peter obtained his B.A. at the age of 20 at the University of Chicago. He was accepted into medical school—on his second attempt, he always pointed out with his usual modesty—at Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating in 1960, he returned to Chicago for an internship in surgery. He completed surgical training at Highland County Hospital in Oakland, California, perhaps the youngest surgeon in the country to graduate that year.
The Vietnam War was raging, and he was drafted into the Army. But as an attending surgeon with the U.S. forces in Germany, he was not enamored by Army rules or its hierarchy. “Captain Rosen’s” sense of humor and rebellious nature were frequently at odds with military expectations. One evening in particular, in annoyance over some banality, he picked up a “hot mic” and announced to the entire base, “Now hear this! The Army sucks. That is all.” As a result of this, he was relegated to a small first-aid station where his “punishment” was to play tennis and chess, thereby reinforcing a life-long strategy of breaking rules he deemed wrong.
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9 Responses to “In Memory of Dr. Peter Rosen, a Founder of Emergency Medicine”
December 14, 2019
R HouleI still remember Dr Rosen’s famous “Pretzel Hold Story”.
December 15, 2019
Paul Orcutt MD, FACEPDr. Rosen was the one person I have always respected and admired. My only meeting with him was many decades ago when he administered my oral board exam.
Thank God I chose to study chose textbook for my oral exam.
Paul Orcutt MD FACEP
December 15, 2019
John C JohnsonThanks for the wonderful biography of a legend in EM. Peter was on the ABEM Board and as such could not take the exam until he had been off for I believe 5 or 10 years. When he got around to taking the oral, as was the practice – all oral examiners had the ability to cross off candidates that they felt they had a conflict of interest. With Peter’s cantankerous reputation, NO ONE, wanted to be his examiner. I knew him, of course. Ben Munger CEO of ABEM, came to me the first day of the exam and told me I HAD to test Peter in the double scenario. I reluctantly agreed. When Peter came into my room, I felt like standing and saluting. (think George Patton to imagine the moment) One of the scenarios involved a pancreatitis and one of the critical points was to order an amylase. He did a perfect exam and ordered his KUB and lab, but did not mention amylase. Now what do I do. “Is there anything else you would like, Dr. Rosen” No thanks was the answer. When it later came time to reveal his x-ray and lab results, the amylase was on a separate page which I withheld. He asked – “where’s my amylase” – you didn’t order one my answer – “you caught that, eh ? I would like to order one now” – shortly he got his result. Catastrophe avoided – I would have had to fail Peter Rosen.
December 29, 2019
Donna HelgrenI was fortunate that a large portion of my nursing career was practiced in the ER of DGH. Dr. Rosen was a striking influence during those years. He promoted a team approach to provide the best care possible to all of the patients at every level of need.
February 6, 2020
Frank A MooreRIP.
We will carry on the fight in your honor.
February 8, 2020
Chris Hinson MDI had the chance to meet Dr. Rosen as a resident while at Cook County Hospital in Chicago while working with another Giant in medicine Dr. Quentin Young. He was indeed an impressive Humanitarian and dedicated to the proposition that Emergency physicians must be the best specialist outside of every other specialty and know every other specialty to a degree sufficient to do their job if necessary.
October 5, 2020
Marzieh Fathi“AS A WOMAN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, YOU SHOULD BE STUBBORN”.
I will never fotget your advice…dear Peter.
March 29, 2022
Terrence L. Jones MDAloha ‘Oe Peter,
Your guidance and influence have spread your mindset across the Emergency Medicine landscape, and it has been well appreciated. Mahalo my friend and mentor. You will be sorely missed, as well as Chinese food after the evening shift!
November 2, 2022
Rick PostOne of my life’s profound moments was when Dr Rosen pronounced an individual dead.
My dance studio was having a party at the Brown Palace hotel and when I walked into the hotel all my students were not in the restaurant they were in the hotel lobby. I was told an elderly man collapsed while dancing. Thinking it was one of my students I rushed to find it wasn’t one of my students, but this unknown woman grieving over her husband being worked on by EMTs. I volunteered to assist by driving her to the Denver General Hospital Emergency room, she was not in a condition to drive.
After 2 or 3 hrs Dr Rosen told this lady he did everything he could to save her husband’s life, but was unable to succeed.
I never experienced anything like this before. Speaking to this woman the way he did was so full of compassion and honesty that I will never forget this short conversation.
Dr Rosen left a memory with me that I’ll never forget.