Morrell Michael Avram of Southampton Dies February 18

Morrell Michael Avram, a pioneer of the use of artificial kidney dialysis, died peacefully at home on Saturday, February 18, 2023. He was 93.

A Holocaust survivor from Bucharest, Romania, he was also a U.S. Army veteran. A leader in the new field of nephrology, he made pathbreaking advances in the treatment of patients with diabetes and kidney failure through dialysis and kidney transplants. He was the first doctor to use the artificial kidney on diabetes patients and successfully to treat diabetics with renal failure. Dr. Avram was Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

He remained a clinician as well as a researcher throughout his lifetime. In 1974, he founded the Brooklyn Kidney Center, which serves hospitals in many under-served communities in Brooklyn. In his more than sixty-year career, he personally saved the lives of tens of thousands of patients with his treatments and trained hundreds of fellows in nephrology. His medical advances and expertise are captured in his scholarship. He authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and co-authored and co-edited 12 textbooks. He also wrote a memoir of his extraordinary life, entitled I Am the Storm: My Odyssey from the Holocaust to the Frontiers of Medicine. Among his numerous honors are the Medal of Excellence from the American Association of Kidney Patients, the Lester Hoenig Award of the National Kidney Foundation for outstanding scientific and humanitarian achievement, and the Medical Recognition Award from the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.

He and his wife Maria, residents of Southampton for over 40 years, have supported many causes, including the Avram Theater at Stony Brook Southampton, Long Island University, and Pianofest. He was also a Founding Member and Honorary Trustee of The Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.

Dr. Avram will be remembered not only for his medical brilliance, but also for his joyous love of and devotion to his family. He is survived by his beloved wife, Maria; sister, Liliana Friedman; five children, Dr. Rella Hartman, Dr. Marc Avram, Eric Avram, Dr. Mathew Avram, Dr. David Avram; their spouses, Joe Hartman, Robin Avram, Dr. Alison Avram, Lynne Greenberg, Kristi Avram; and his grandchildren, Andrew, Zoe, William, Robert, Jacob, Benjamin, Lilly, Alexander, Rachel, Noah, Joshua, and Emily. He was buried in a private service at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon, NY on Monday, February 20.