SAN MATEO — Dr. Ephraim Engleman, a longtime leader in the field of rheumatology who inspired colleagues by practicing several decades beyond retirement age, died at work Wednesday, UC San Francisco announced.
He was 104.
Engleman served for 36 years as founding director of the Rosalind Russell/Ephraim P. Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, which the university renamed last year in his honor.
UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood eulogized Engleman as a treasured member of the university community, renowned physician, gifted musician, and devoted husband and father. Dr. Lloyd “Holly” Smith, associate dean emeritus of the university’s School of Medicine, said his colleague lived “an exceptionally long and useful life.”
“He died in his office at UCSF having come in for a day of work at age 104,” Smith said in a statement. “We should all be so fortunate in leaving this earth,”
Born in 1911, the San Jose native was known for his humorous longevity tips. He encouraged marital sex, advised people against having heart attacks and discouraged retirement. He scorned exercise as overrated and nutritional supplements as useless.
“Seriously, you must not fall,” he warned seniors in one interview. “That’s a no-no.”
Engleman joined the clinical faculty at UCSF in 1947, becoming one of San Francisco’s first specialists in the treatment of arthritis. He served over the years as president of several professional organizations, including the American College of Rheumatology, which in 2012 awarded Engleman its highest honor, the Presidential Gold Medal.
A lover of classical music, Engleman was an accomplished violinist. He hosted weekly gatherings into his 100s where he and three friends would play music as the San Andreas Quartet.
He is survived by his wife, Jean; sons E. Philip Engleman and Edgar G. Engleman; daughter Jill Roost; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Contact Aaron Kinney at 650-348-4357. Follow him at Twitter.com/kinneytimes.
