Edward Viner, MD, a retired chief of medicine, pioneer of inpatient care and oncologist, died Dec. 1 of acute myeloid leukemia at age 89, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Dr. Viner served as acting chief of medicine, head of the hematology and oncology section, and director of the internal medicine residency and fellowship programs at Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Hospital from 1965 to 1987. In 1975, he established the hospital's hospice program after enduring his own illness, spending six weeks on a respirator and four months in the hospital.
In 1987, he joined Camden, N.J.-based Cooper University Health Care, where he served as chief of medicine and senior vice president of institutional advancements until 2007. During his tenure, he created an academic department of medicine and developed a suburban practice network. In 2008, Cooper named its new intensive care unit in his honor, the report said.
In 2012, Dr. Viner laid the groundwork for Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and was named its honorary first dean in 2009.
Dr. Viner continued to practice medicine until 2023 and never stopped teaching, according to his obituary. He is survived by his wife, children, and 10 grandchildren, according to the report.