User:Morrell Avram

Morrell Avram, MD (born c. 1930) is a Romanian-American nephrologist who is a pioneer in kidney disease research. In 1971, Dr. Avram established the Avram Center for Kidney Diseases at Long Island College Hospital. The center had the distinction of keeping a patient, Essie Rinehart, alive on dialysis for 38 years—longer than any other center in the world. He became Chief of the Avram Division of Nephrology and was named a Professor of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. In addition to his highly-cited article in The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Avram has published over two hundred research papers and four books. He also served as a Trustee of St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center.

= Avram Theater = The Avram Theater and the adjacent Avram Family Art Gallery at Stony Brook Southampton were named after Dr. Avram and his wife in 1998. The 429-seat theater is one of the leading venues for the arts in the Hamptons. Some highlight events include the highly-acclaimed Southampton Writers Conference; the Center for Wine, Food and Culture conferences; the Young American Writers Project play festivals; and the ever popular Pianofest hosted by pianist Paul Schenly.

= Personal life = Dr. Avram was born in Bucharest, Romania to a Jewish family and immigrated to America in 1946 to escape the Nazis. He claimed that during Nazi occupation in Romania, he witnessed Jews strung on "meat hooks reserved for cattle." He settled in Brooklyn Heights, New York and still lives there with his wife. He has five children and 12 grandchildren. = References =