Dr. Robert James Hartzman

Dr. Robert Hartzman died on Thursday, October 31, 2019 from complications of heart bypass surgery. Robert is survived by his wife, Marlene; son, Alex (Elizabeth Clare); sister, Brenda Howarth; sister-in-law, Tamie Tobe; nephews, Dan Howarth (Susan Deemer Howarth), Frederick Howarth (Janelle Hornbeck Howarth) and Jacob Tobey; and niece, Isabelle Tobey. Dr. Hartzman was a leading force in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplant. He received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971, where he worked with pioneers in the field of transplantation immunology and genetics. Following his residency at Dartmouth, Dr. Hartzman was inducted into the Navy, where he performed bone marrow transplants at the Naval Medical Center and Naval Medical Research Center. He established the C.W. Bill Young Marrow Donor Recruitment and Research Program; founded the Radiation Injury Treatment Network; and following his retirement, served as director of the Navy's Bone Marrow Research Directorate. Dr. Hartzman's work will live on through the 1 million donors recruited into the registry and the more than 8,000 transplants completed during his tenure. Every life saved is a tribute to his innovative research and dedication to service.

A memorial service will be held Monday, November 11, 10:30 AM at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Center for Patient Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, www.patientpartnerships.org. Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, details to be announced. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.