Rosalie Burns goldberg

1932 - 2015
Rosalie Burns Goldberg



Dr. Rosalie Burns Goldberg, a much beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and prominent neurologist, died at the age of 83, on November 5th, in Philadelphia, after a long illness.

Born in New York City on July 29, 1932 to Faye Himmelstein and Jacob Burns, attorney and philanthropist, Rosalie is survived by her husband of 57 years, retired neuro-radiologist, Herbert I. Goldberg. Dr. Burns Goldberg is survived by her daughter, Laura Raab of Wallingford, PA; and her son, Alan Goldberg and wife Joni of Deerfield Beach, FL; four grandchildren Jason Lonabaugh, Gwendolyn Moore, Holly and Jack Goldberg, and one great grandchild, Madelyn Lonabaugh; and six nieces and nephews.



Dr. Burns Goldberg was predeceased by her brother, George Burns, and her sister, Sally Shenkman, whose early death left four teenaged children whom she loved and helped guide as she did her own. Indeed, despite her busy medical career, Dr. Burns Goldberg was devoted to and always had time for all her family, her dear cousins, as well as her friends and patients.



A woman of immense modesty, she never touted her many accomplishments. She graduated in 1949, second in her class at Forest Hills High School, and won a scholarship to Smith College, where she studied pre-med, and was graduated in three years and elected to membership in the society of Phi Beta Kappa. Thereafter, she was one of a handful of women in the U.S. to be accepted to Yale University School of Medicine in 1952, where she was graduated. She completed her internship at Bellevue Hospital and her residency at the Neurological Institute of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.



Dr. Burns Goldberg practiced neurology in Philadelphia for more than 30 years. For much of her career she saw patients, taught, and also became the chair of the department of neurology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, which later became Hahnemann Medical College. She was also certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.



Dr. Burns Goldberg was a trustee of the Jacob Burns Foundation, and founded with her husband, the Herbert I. Goldberg and Rosalie Burns Goldberg Foundation. She adored opera, and for many years, along with her husband, supported the Metropolitan Opera, and helped foster the growth of Opera Philadelphia and the Academy of Vocal Arts. She was also an avid theatergoer and supported various local theater organizations. She served on the Board of Advisors of the George Washington University School of Law. Her kind and sage advice was highly sought after and appreciated by her professional colleagues, friends and family. She will be deeply missed by the many individuals whose lives she touched.



Gifts in her name may be made to the American Cancer Society.