Robert I. Berkowitz, longtime physician, scientist, and medical researcher, has died at 74

Robert I. Berkowitz, 74, of Bryn Mawr, longtime physician, scientist, professor emeritus, medical researcher, and mentor at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, died Sunday, Oct. 16, of cardiac arrest at Suburban Community Hospital.

Internationally renowned for his work on the causes and treatment of obesity, Dr. Berkowitz was the medical director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders in Penn’s department of psychiatry for 25 years. His wide-ranging research focused on the behavioral and medical management of obesity in children and adults, and he studied, among other factors, the impact of weight stigmas, feeding habits, physical activity, metabolism, and mental health.

“Obesity is a serious and growing health problem in America’s youth,” Dr. Berkowitz said in a 2006 grant application to the National Institutes of Health. “The prevalence of adolescent obesity, for example, increased from 11% to 13% in the past five years and shows no signs of abating.”

As associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, professor emeritus of continuing education in psychiatry, and faculty member in the psychiatry department at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, Dr. Berkowitz won several teaching awards and mentored researchers, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and residents.

In a tribute, colleagues at Penn and CHOP recalled his “generosity of spirit and his great chuckle, his ability to listen and be supportive, and just all around being a kind man.” They said he was “always thoughtful about the care offered to his participants/patients and was an advocate for those who needed help.”

At CHOP, he was psychiatrist-in-chief and chair of the department of child and adolescent psychiatry. He treated countless patients, many in crisis, and helped create CHOP’s groundbreaking New Jersey Transition to Adult Coordinated Care program that guides families and young patients into adulthood.

He copublished Obesity: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals in 2005 and wrote or cowrote nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Pediatrics, and elsewhere. He was on the editorial board of the International Journal of Obesity and reviewed articles for the Journal of Adolescent Health Care and other publications.

“He focused on helping people and made a difference in the lives of everyone he touched,” said his son, Ben.

Born Feb. 28, 1948, in Bridgeport, Conn., Dr. Berkowitz earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1969 and his medical degree from the University of Connecticut in 1973. He completed his residency in psychiatry at Connecticut in 1975, was a fellow at Yale University’s Child Study Center until 1977, and worked for a decade as an assistant professor and senior resident in Stanford University’s Division of Child Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

He met Barbara Goldberg at a United Synagogue Youth summer camp in Connecticut in the late 1960s, and they married in 1970 and had son Ben. They moved to Philadelphia from California in 1990 after he was recruited by Penn and CHOP.

He finally retired this year. “When I first met him, I loved that he was so very kind, compassionate, and funny,” his wife said.

Dr. Berkowitz was a devoted family man, and he rose early throughout the 1980s and ‘90s to watch his son play hockey. He was gregarious, compassionate, and rang up his older brother, Steve, nearly every day.

He liked to hike and play tennis as a young man and delighted family and friends when he played Beethoven and other classics on the piano. “He was an incredible role model,” his son said. “He was fiercely loyal and showed his family unconditional love. He was an inspirational father.”

His wife said: “He was my best friend for more than 50 years. I loved him so much.”

In addition to his wife and son, Dr. Berkowitz is survived by two grandchildren and other relatives. His brother died earlier.

Services are to be held later in California.

Donations in his name may be made to the Anti-Defamation League, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10158.