Herbert Edward Cohn, MD, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an acclaimed thoracic surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for over 50 years, died peacefully on March 10, 2025, at Seashore Gardens Living Center in Galloway, New Jersey. He was 94 years old.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of Lee and Robert Cohn. The third of four boys in that household, he vied for attention with golden boy oldest brother Melvin, mischievous second oldest brother Stanley, and baby brother Jay, 13 years his junior. This was, he once shared, a tough place to get center stage. Then, at age 14, he came down with meningitis, an infection that 10 years earlier would have been untreatable and likely fatal. He was fortunate that sulfa antibiotics had recently been developed and that he had a dedicated family physician who got him through the lengthy illness. The experience inspired him to consider a career in medicine and despite the setback to his education he was determined to succeed.
Once he was accepted to Rutgers University he began to reach his full potential. He graduated in 1951 at the top of his class. After college, Herb began his medical training at Jefferson Medical College where he would receive the freshman Anatomy Prize and numerous other accolades for academic excellence before graduating first in his class in 1955. He was accepted into the prestigious Jefferson surgical residency, where he would be trained on the service of the esteemed John Gibbon. From 1957-1959 he served in the US Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas, and received an Air Force Commendation Medal. After moving back to Philadelphia, he completed his training and was appointed to the Jefferson faculty in 1962.
For the next 50 years, his surgical practice focused on thoracic and endocrine surgery. He became known as the “go-to” surgeon for thyroid disorders in Philadelphia. He also earned a reputation as an exceptional educator with high expectations. He was the director of the surgical residency at Jefferson where, among his hundreds of trainees, he was both feared and revered. As described by one former resident, “Dr. Cohn is a brilliant surgeon, and is both technically and academically a perfectionist." He received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1980.
In contrast to what could be an intimidating teaching style, Herb had a gentle bedside manner and was beloved by his patients, not just because he was a top clinician but mainly because of the way he put them at ease in the face of serious illness. He felt the physician-patient relationship was sacred, and on post-op rounds would never think of speaking to a patient without sitting at the bedside and taking their hand.
He was recognized numerous times at Jefferson for his achievements as a surgeon. He was selected by one graduating class for the honor of having his portrait painted, an uncanny rendering which still hangs in the Department of Surgery. He was named the first Anthony Narducci, MD Professor of Surgery in 1998. He was celebrated with the Achievement Award in Medicine at the Jefferson Gala in 2009. He retired in 2014.
Outside of his career, his attention was devoted to his family: Natalie, his wife of 60 years, his three sons Jeff, Richard, and David and their families, innumerable extended family and lifelong friends, travel, the Israeli medical society, Philadelphia sports teams, golf, and the Jersey shore. He loved the beach and, in particular, was an expert quoits player, hurling the thick rubber ring toward the stake with the same precision as when looping a suture around a bleeding vessel.
