Dr. Robert Marvin Epstein, the Harold Carron Professor in Anesthesiology (emeritus) at the University of Virginia, died on Tuesday, July 23, in Boston. He was 96 and had lived in Dedham, MA since moving from Charlottesville, VA in 2020.

He served as the chair of UVA’s Department of Anesthesiology for 24 years, beginning in 1972. In honor of his service to the department, an endowed chair was created, the Robert M. Epstein Professorship in Anesthesiology.

An established leader in his profession, Robert served on the American Board of Anesthesiology from 1973 to1985 and as its president in 1982-83. He was recognized as a fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (England) in 1981, and he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine in1989. In addition, he served a term as a member of the editorial board of the journal Anesthesiology and was a president of the Association of University Anesthesiologists. Robert was a board member of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates from 1991 to 1996.

Born in the Bronx, NY on March 10, 1928 to immigrant parents, he was the fourth child in the family. His father was a civil engineer and his mother a homemaker. His elder brother was a chemist, and Robert’s interest in mechanics, physics, and chemistry came in part from these early influences. He later confided that his first professional aspiration was to be an astronomer. He completed his secondary education in Miami Beach, where the family moved in 1940.

Robert attended the University of Michigan from 1944 to 1951, where he obtained his BS in Chemistry and his medical degree. He married Lillian Rae Cohen, a fellow student at the University of Michigan, in December of 1950, and six months later he began his anesthesiology residency at Columbia University.

He served as an attending anesthesiologist with a rank of 1st Lieutenant in the US Army Medical Corps from 1953-1955, stationed overseas in Korea and later in Japan. On returning to civilian life, he completed his residency and practiced at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, and joined the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Robert’s native passion for basic science, coupled with a keen desire to improve patient care, led him to research and develop solutions to practical and theoretical problems in anesthesia. He developed an early interest in the causes and prevention of anesthesia-related death and was an advocate for analysis of adverse critical incidents and for mandatory safety improvements to anesthesia machines.

The work he published with coauthors in 1962 presented the first oxygen “fail safe” apparatus proposed for inhalation anesthesia. Since 1979, such safety components have been a required feature of continuous-flow anesthesia machines, based on national standards he helped establish. He was also the first to predict and establish mutual effects of multiple gas interactions on rates of anesthetic uptake, the “second gas effect.”

He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1966, which enabled him to spend 1966-67 conducting research at the department of pharmacology at Oxford University. His connection with England continued after his appointment as department chair in 1972. He established an exchange program with the Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol, England and hosted visiting British doctors and scientists.

In retirement, Robert continued his affiliation with the University as professor emeritus, attending School of Medicine lectures and symposia. He was a man of broad interests and an engaging raconteur; admired for his boundless curiosity, he maintained friendships across diverse disciplines within the university. An amateur flutist, he loved music, and for years attended the Tuesday evening concert series with Lillian. In the milieu of Jefferson’s Charlottesville he cultivated an interest in architecture, and he was an avid student of current affairs. As a young father he shared his love of sailing with his children. He and Lillian invested years of their time together to make their Cape Cod home a warm and relaxing place for family gatherings.

He was deeply committed to his family, children, and children’s children. He leaves his daughter Judith Epstein Leich and her husband, Christopher Leich, of Arlington, MA; his son, Neal Epstein and his wife, Helen Feuer, of New York, NY; his son, Charles Epstein and his wife, Melia Bensussen, of Brookline, MA; and six grandchildren.

For more on services and to share your condolences, visit Hill and Wood Funeral Service.