Needham resident Gail March Cohen was a caring mother of sons Aaron and Jonathon, grandmother to Logan and Amelia, wife of Mark and friend to many,. passed on March 28, 2024. She possessed great intelligence and approached problems in innovative and non-traditional ways. This often upset some traditionalists in academic medicine, but in most cases her creative approach turned out to be the most efficacious one. She was dedicated to her work as an innovative and experienced medical educator with a focus on preparing learners for their roles as effective physicians and health care providers who would hopefully go on to teach the next generation of medical students and residents in ways that would produce the best result for every individual. Gail was a very shy and private person who would be terribly anxious before every class or workshop she gave so she put in a tremendous amount of preparation to make sure that her presentations reflected her critical thinking and desire for excellence. She came from a family where everyone was involved in academic medicine, teaching and doing research. Gail's father dictated that she not become a practicing physician because she was a type one diabetic from the age of nine and he did not think she would have the stamina for it, but despite devastating health problems she always put heart and soul into everything she did. She did not expect to have a long life so she was driven to contribute as much as possible every day of her life giving credit to others whenever possible. In addition to her academic career as an Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of Medicine she was an accomplished artist and a screenwriter who had been a member of the Writers Guild of America for many years.
Services will be held graveside at Sharon Memorial Park Section 35 Shiloh Lot # 136 on Wednesday April 3rd at 12:45pm, the family will receive people at their home at 869 Charles River Street Needham for Shiva starting at 3pm until 8pm. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation: https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/give