Memories of: J. Lance Lichtor, MD
From Pragati Rohatgi, I am a pediatric anesthesiologist in private practice with CASE Medical Group in Sacramento, California. I read the PAAD article about Lance today. I am including my memories with him below.
Thank you for sharing In memoriam, it gives us all meaning and emphasizes the contributions Lance had made to our pediatric anesthesia community.
I have fond memories of Lance. I joined as an anesthesia resident at Yale in 2012 and at the resident welcome party, I met Lance for the first time. He was so personable and pleasant to talk to. I only learnt later that he was the Director of Pediatric Anesthesia. I subsequently had great learning opportunities with him, during my pediatric rotations. His modest personality and working with residents at night impressed me. One of these night calls, he showed me how to use quantitative twitch monitor, by getting the equipment from storage. It made me realize, night call is not an onerous burden, but an opportunity to learn new things. He also taught me how to preshape the endotracheal tube without the stylette, which I still use daily.
After graduating residency and subsequently pediatric anesthesia fellowship, I would meet Lance at SPA Meetings and he always had a smile on his face. He even recommended me to this current job, I am at.
Lance was an amazing force in pediatric anesthesia and a great attending who shaped my career. It was also wonderful to look at his social media and see all the unique breads he was baking.
I am fortunate to have worked with Lance, and his memories will always be cherished.
From Jeff Apfelbaum MD former chair Department of Anesthesiology University of Chicago
Lance and I joined the faculty at the University of Chicago around the same time and quickly developed a strong friendship; over the years, we collaborated on a number of educational and clinical research projects. Simply put, he was an outstanding clinician, scientist, educator, colleague and above all, human being. Some would say he was a role model for role models. Though Lance had completed a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology, he was so highly regarded as a “Master Clinician” that he received countless requests to serve as the anesthesiologist for both adults and children throughout the medical center as well as the University of Chicago community. He was instrumental in the development of anesthetic techniques for segmental liver transplants in adult to children transplants. In the earliest days of that procedure, we were together at an IARS meeting on the west coast when, late in the afternoon, one of our liver transplant surgeons contacted him to ask if he’d return immediately to perform one of the earliest split liver transplants in the US. Of course, he enthusiastically agreed and the organ procurement jet was diverted to bring him to Chicago. May his memory be a blessing.
From Wendy Binstock MD Lurie Children’s Hospital
I am deeply saddened by the loss of my colleague, a remarkable pediatric anesthesiologist who played a pivotal role in my early career. He was not only a mentor during my first job after residency but also an inspiring figure who instilled confidence in me. I vividly remember our time together as he guided me through the complexities of anesthesia for pediatric liver transplants, sharing his expertise with patience and kindness. His dedication to his patients and his passion for teaching will always be cherished, and his legacy will continue to influence many.
From Greg Hammer MD retired
Many years ago Mike Roizen invited me to be a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, where he was then Chair. Lance was assigned to look after me. As we were avid exercise enthusiasts, Lance offered to take me for a run in between lectures and sit-downs with trainees and faculty. It was the highlight of my day. Not only did Lance and I enjoy a wonderful run - we also took in the lovely scenery along Lake Michigan. I grew up near the lake and it was refreshing and nostalgic experiencing the lake views again. Moreover, the day with Lance was especially wonderful - he had a great mind, including a sharp wit and open heart. He was a true mensch.
From Steven Roth MD, Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Chicago
I was greatly saddened to hear about the passing of Lance Lichtor. Baruch Dayan Haemes. Lance was one of the first faculty I got to know when I joined the faculty at U of C in 1986. He was involved in almost every significant activity in the Department.
During the early years after Mike Roizen became Chairman of the Department, Lance played a critical role in the development of the Department's scholarly activity and soon to be reputation as one of the top academic anesthesia departments in the country. He mentored junior faculty, brought in new scholars including outstanding ones from Europe, and helped Jim Zacny to start the wildly successful Psychomotor Lab. Many departmental faculty who were largely clinicians benefited from Lance's guidance. He always included everyone who helped perform and complete studies. For many of DACC's faculty at the time, the publications of these studies helped launch their careers and later enabled them to be promoted at U of C.
Lance was charitable, generous with this time, and always a gentleman. I do not recall him ever being angry.
He was also funny. Lance helped many faculty, using humor, to adjust to what were not always collegial relations with faculty and others outside of our department.
Lance was an avid and innovative scholar. He performed new studies including the seminal studies on performance of anesthesiologists following night call (sleep deprivation). He was the first to show what all of us felt, that even a day after an overnight call, we were still not back to our peak performance. These studies later influenced scheduling of overnight calls. Lance not only performed studies, he was an outstanding commentator and synthesizer of work done by others, pointing out strengths and limitations and publishing this work in excellent journals.
It was sad to see Lance leave U of C even though I ended up inheriting his office. I stayed in touch with Lance after he went to Yale and he was very helpful to me in career decisions.
Lance was an unusually talented physician who made large contributions to Anesthesiology and will be dearly missed.
From Winnie Ruo
" Perfection is the enemy of good" one of Dr Lichtor's favorite lines….
Rest in peace-
From Berrnard Wittels MD PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus
As a colleague and coworker of mine in the labor and delivery suite at the University of Chicago, Lance provided insight, knowledge, compassion, and humor during stressful events (simultaneous cesarean deliveries, drug-abusing parturients, power failure in the operating rooms, and publishing research). He will always be remembered as a kind individual who contributed his knowledge and time to the anesthesia department in a selfless manner that has benefitted us all in our careers.
From Richard Dutton, Chief Quality Officer USAP
I worked with Lance for years on the ASA Self-Education and Evaluation (SEE) product. I enjoyed his perspectives on emerging science and learned a lot from him on embracing new or surprising findings. Sorry to hear of his passing.
From John E Ellis MD
Fond memories of an outstanding colleague and pediatric and transplant anesthesiologist. He passionately advocated for transcutaneous O2 over pulse oximetry, even as the latter predominated. But more than anything, he was a wonderful father. His kids would be in his office near mine before and after their days at the Lab school; it was a joy to watch them grow up and see the love they shared. RIP
From Theresa Cumming, Director of Operations, Anesthesia & Critical Care, University of Chicago
Funny, how you just mentioning his kids brings up those memories so quickly. I thought about Lance dictating the next day assignments on the phone line and always including well wishes, birthday wishes, etc to different members of the department.
From Ori Gottlieb, MD
I had the fortune of working with Dr. Lichtor during my anesthesia residency at the university of Chicago. In fact, I distinctly remember the calm, patient, and wise way in which he walked me through my first liver transplant. He was a kind, bright, and uplifting man and I’m lucky to have known him.
From BobbieJean Sweitzer
So sad to hear of his passing. When I first joined DACC Dr. Lichtor was so friendly and welcoming. He always seemed to be chill even when he was trying to order groceries on line (I didn't know this was a "thing" until he showed me) for what seemed to be a "lot of kids." I was so impressed that he and his wife were such accomplished physicians who also were so involved as parents. And he seemed to do it all with such ease. I tried to emulate him! He had a wonderful impish grin which made him seem "forever young".
From Thomas W Cutter MD, MAEd, FASA, F-SAMBA
Lance was a very active and mission critical member of SAMBA in its early years. He almost single-handedly brought the organization into the 21st-century, acting as its webmaster for years. He was also a valued board member, officer and ultimately president.
Personally, he was a friend and a mentor. As president of SAMBA, he appointed me Chair of the Education Committee which led to opportunities for much greater things. As a colleague at the University of Chicago, I often leaned on him for advice, especially when it came to pediatrics. Soft spoken, patient, and with a wry sense of humor, always accompanied by the twinkle in his eye. I remember him fondly, with respect and admiration. He was a role model.
From Cheryl Gooden, MD and Dorothy Gaal, MD Yale University
From Dorothy Gaal, MD
As the Director of Pediatric Anesthesiology at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Dr. Lichtor offered stability, mentorship to colleagues and trainees at all levels. His organizational clarity was evident by the work that he put into our Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program. He approached his care of our pediatric patients with sincerity and good will. His personal and professional family meant the world to him.
From Cheryl Gooden, MD
I met Dr. Lichtor when I interviewed for an attending position at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. I realized when interviewed by Dr. Lichtor, his kindness and I quickly learned that in his role as Director, he was both a great doctor and person. He demonstrated his commitment to the care of children at this institution and to the greater pediatric anesthesiology community.
From Edward A. Czinn, MD, Chief and Medical Director, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Broward Health Medical Center
As a resident at the University of Chicago in the 1980s, I viewed Lance Lichctor as a role model and a mentor. He had an easy-going temperament that resonated with the residency staff. While he excelled in pediatric anesthesia, he was clinically skilled in most areas of anesthesia. He willingly shared his academic interests with us and enjoyed discussing his latest scientific endeavors. He was a true professional and will be missed.
From Maksim Zayaruzny MD MS-HPEd Associate Professor, Site Chief and Director of Anesthesia Operations, Memorial Hospital, Director of Medical Simulation, Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine, UMass Memorial Medical Center, T.H. Chan School of Medicine
I am so sorry to find out about Lance’s passing. I was fortunate enough to have been his resident during his time at UMASS and I am forever grateful and count myself lucky to have met him. His empathy, sense of humor, medical expertise, and wisdom have left a mark on me and in many ways have formed me as a clinician. I still quote him to my residents, who are, in a way, his clinical grandchildren as I am his clinical child.
I firmly believe that we are not gone until the last person who remembers us is still alive and Lance has many such people; he will be remembered fondly by many for a long time to come.