In Memoriam: the passing of UCSF Division of Geriatrics faculty, Dr. Susan Runyan
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of a dear and cherished colleague, Dr. Susan Runyan, UCSF Division of Geriatrics faculty and member of the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) Geriatrics, Palliative, and Extended Care Service Line. Sue passed away on January 2, 2023 with her husband by her side after being admitted to an ICU in Seattle in critical condition following an accident while on holiday.
Sue was a graduate of UCSF School of Medicine and was a family physician who practiced at Lakeshore Faculty Practice and in the community for several years before completing her Geriatric Medicine Fellowship in June 2022. She also held a master’s degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley School of Public Health and completed a Family Medicine Residency at University of Washington School of Medicine and a Rural Family Medicine Fellowship at Tacoma Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Runyan joined the UCSF faculty and began working in the San Francisco VAHCS Community Living Center in September 2022 and was excited about her new faculty position. She was passionate about teaching and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, having received both the UCSF Award for Excellence in Collaboration and the Excellence in Direct Clinical Teaching awards.
Sue cherished working with older Veterans and the SFVAHCS Community Living Center team. Everyone who worked with her could see her excitement about being a Geriatrician and the kindness and dedication she brought to the world. Faculty and fellows from the Geriatrics Division met together recently to share their grief and memories of Sue, so many people talked about her devotion to her work and her patients and that she inspired us to be better doctors and better people. One faculty member said that while many are devoted to their work, "Sue was in a league of her own."
While this was an unexpected and unbelievable loss, Sue will continue to be a model to us all. She was a wonderful and thoughtful mentor to so many of us over the years. Her quiet positive can-do attitude can be so affirming to those who are around her. Sue cared not just for her patients but also for her colleagues. She was beloved by trainees and learners, and her team of interprofessional clinical colleagues. She was both extremely gentle with her patients, and also the strongest advocate in making sure they got what they needed. Sue was the ultimate patient-centered physician. She was a joyous person who was never afraid to try new things. She would quietly offer a blanket or snacks to a colleague, and gave everything without asking for anything in return. We are all touched by her kindness and humility, and the way she made the world a better place.
The UCSF Department of Medicine extends our deepest condolences to Doug Ross, her husband, and their children, Russ Ross and Jenny Ross, and their family and many friends. Although we mourn Sue’s loss, we are sustained by her memory and her lasting example.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 PM at Peninsula Temple Sholom in the Sanctuary (1655 Sebastian Drive, Burlingame) and virtual by zoom followed by a light nosh in the Lillian Byer Social Hall.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84733303289?pwd=QlN5TldQOXVmWTU5NEdPNGg4MU56UT09
Meeting ID: 847 3330 3289
Passcode: 626881
Sincerely,
Helen Chen, MD
Professor of Medicine
Associate Chief of Staff, Geriatrics, Palliative and Extended Care, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Louise C. Walter, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Geriatrics
UCSF and San Francisco VA Medical Center
Kenneth McQuaid, MD
Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief of the Medical Service, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Robert M. Wachter, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine